In a significant legal development, Sarabjit Harripersad, a resident of Penal, was acquitted of multiple criminal charges, including arson, malicious damage, assault, battery, and resisting arrest. The verdict was delivered by a San Fernando jury on November 18 after nearly three hours of deliberation at the Princes Town Judicial Centre. Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds presided over the trial, while Harripersad was represented by a legal team comprising attorneys Larry Williams, Enrique Singh, and Alejandro Gocking. The charges stemmed from an incident on May 10, 2024, at Bheemul Branch Trace, San Francique Road, Penal, where Harripersad was accused of setting fire to a house, destroying a vehicle, and assaulting individuals. The defense successfully argued that the prosecution’s case was riddled with inconsistencies and contradictions among witness testimonies, undermining its credibility. Key discrepancies included conflicting accounts of where the alleged assault occurred, whether gasoline was poured, and the sequence of events. The defense emphasized that these inconsistencies rendered the prosecution’s case unreliable, leading to Harripersad’s acquittal. State attorneys Charmaine Samuel and Davenand Ramsaran led the prosecution.