Father of boy injured in PBR accident involving cop: We want answers

DCP Suzette Martin. -

THE recent decision to discontinue the case against a senior policewoman charged with dangerous driving has shocked the family of the 14-year-old boy who was injured.

On December 18, the boy’s father, who asked to remain unnamed, expressed his dissatisfaction with the explanation provided in newspaper reports on the case’s discontinuation. He called for closure and transparency.

“It came as a shock, not knowing the reason why it was discontinued. There are so many unanswered questions.

“I, and I am sure the public, want to know why. It is a burning question. The transparency was not there. We want clarity,” he said by phone.

“For the charges to be laid, there must have been something concrete.”

His son, a form five student, was on his way to school on April 18, 2023 when he was hit while crossing the Priority Bus Route in San Juan near the Croisee.

Months later, in October 2023, DCP Suzette Martin (then Snr Supt) was charged with dangerous driving via summons.

She was promoted in March this year.

On December 16, a notice of discontinuance signed by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard, SC, was formally filed in the Port of Spain District Court.

The next day, on December 17, Martin appeared before Senior Magistrate Maureen Baboolal-Gafoor on December 17, who discharged her and dismissed the matter.

The boy’s father added, “It was hush-hush, so to speak.”

He said his son, who was accustomed to crossing the bus route, had to wear a cast for two months after the accident.

“He is still traumatised and in pain. He is still doing therapy for the injuries to his left leg.

"It could have been worse. He would have lost his leg, and we could have been having a different conversation right now.”

The man said his son was an aspiring footballer and a Barcelona fan. Shortly before the accident, he had started training for his school’s football team.

The father added that he cannot cast judgment without all the facts.

In an interview with another Newsday reporter on December 18, the DPP said the individual who has hit suddenly emerged from between two vehicles into Martin’s path.

Gaspard emphasised that evidence reviews can lead to revised decisions.

He added that having reviewed the CCTV footage, the evidence for dangerous driving was “extremely tenuous.”

Gaspard acknowledged that while his office initially advised laying the charge, a re-evaluation of the evidence prompted the decision to file the notice of discontinuance.