作者： admin

The Inshan Ali Promenade in Couva became a vibrant hub of seasonal joy on December 19th as the Couva Police Station Community Council (CPSCC) hosted its Christmas on the Promenade celebration. This heartwarming event successfully united approximately 300 residents from Couva and surrounding neighborhoods for an evening dedicated to festive harmony, cultural performances, and community bonding.

Embracing the council’s foundational theme of ‘one district, one family,’ the festivities featured an array of engaging activities. Approximately 130 children experienced the magic of Christmas firsthand, receiving personalized gifts that sparked widespread delight. The program showcased inspirational addresses from police leadership, including Council Chairman Inspector Khan of the Couva Police Station.

Cultural enrichment formed the cornerstone of the evening with captivating performances by Levantamientos Parang Group, the Couva Anglican Primary School Steel Orchestra, and the Dow Village Dance Group. Young talents including Ella Isaac, Siarah Mohammed, and Brandon Khan delivered memorable musical presentations, while DJ Zion Child provided rhythmic entertainment. The event was skillfully hosted by CPSCC President Bishop Ezekiel Clarke, who also debuted his original community anthem titled ‘Peace and Love.’

This successful initiative originated from Bishop Clarke’s visionary leadership and was executed by the council’s event planning committee under Vice President Miguel Charles. The celebration represented a significant expansion of the CPSCC’s ongoing outreach programs throughout the central region.

The council extended profound gratitude to its sponsors and community partners whose support was instrumental to the event’s success, including R&R Trading, Couva Glass, Kayvanic Logistics, NB Environmental Services, and the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation.

A Laventille family’s hopes for a Christmas reunion were shattered when search teams recovered the body of 25-year-old MTS Security officer Jamal Brandon Jessop from a swampy area near the WASA facility at Beetham Gardens on December 22. The discovery concluded an intensive two-day search operation involving multiple law enforcement and rescue organizations.

Jessop, described as a muscular black male standing approximately six feet tall with a bald head and distinctive goatee, was reported missing by his mother Sherry-Ann Jessop on December 20. According to police reports, the young security officer had last been seen at the family home in Eastern Quarry, Laventille, where he shared lunch before departing unexpectedly—behavior his mother noted was highly uncharacteristic.

The search gained urgency when Sherry-Ann received disturbing information on December 21 suggesting her son had been fatally shot during an altercation in Beetham Gardens. The tipsters, whose identities she protected citing safety concerns, indicated the incident occurred between 2 am and 6 am, with Jessop’s body allegedly discarded in either the Sea Lots swamp or near the WASA pump station along the Beetham Highway.

Vallence Rambharat of the Hunters Search and Rescue Team coordinated with police to comb the challenging terrain, though initial efforts were suspended due to poor lighting and dense vegetation. The operation resumed at dawn on December 22 with support from the Police K9 Unit, Air Support, and multiple divisions, ultimately leading to the grim discovery beneath a bridge where spent shell casings were reportedly found nearby.

Social media footage captured the heartrending scene as Jessop’s mother and relatives gathered while recovery teams worked. The deceased, who had been receiving outpatient mental health treatment at St Ann’s Hospital, was identified by his chest tattoo bearing the surname “Jessop.”

The Anti-Kidnapping and Homicide Bureau has assumed investigation into the case. In separate but geographically proximate incidents, police are investigating another suspected homicide in Beetham Gardens where an unidentified African male was found shot execution-style, plus a shooting in Morvant that left a 21-year-old man wounded but stable at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.

The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) has issued a strong condemnation of all sexual misconduct by educators against students, emphasizing that schools must remain secure environments for children. This declaration came in response to disturbing findings published in the 2024 Teaching Service Commission (TSC) annual report, which documented 16 separate allegations involving five different teachers across the nation’s educational system.

According to the TSC report, which prompted Newsday’s December 18 investigation titled “Probe into touchy teachers,” the allegations reveal a troubling pattern of misconduct. One primary school teacher faced five distinct abuse allegations, while another primary educator was accused in two separate cases, and a third faced one allegation of sexual misconduct. At the secondary level, one teacher was implicated in a single case, while another secondary educator confronted four separate misconduct matters. The report did not clarify whether multiple allegations against individual teachers involved repeated abuse of single victims or multiple victims.

TTUTA President Crystal Ashe articulated the union’s position, stating, “Our schools are and should always be safe zones for all who occupy them, including students.” While acknowledging the seriousness of the allegations, the teachers’ association refrained from commenting on specific cases currently under review by the TSC. The union emphasized its confidence in existing legal mechanisms and the collaborative efforts between the Teaching Service Commission and the Ministry of Education to properly address such incidents.

The association has urged all TSC members to strictly comply with legal requirements, particularly emphasizing the thorough and timely reporting of all sexual misconduct cases. “Our students are our future leaders,” the statement concluded, “and we all should work together to keep them safe.” Notably, none of the five accused teachers have faced criminal proceedings to date, with all matters remaining within the TSC’s administrative jurisdiction.

In a significant legal development, the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago has authorized retired city assessor Heidi Henry to pursue judicial review proceedings against the San Fernando City Corporation over its failure to properly calculate her pension and gratuity entitlements.

Justice Frank Seepersad granted leave for Henry to challenge what her legal team characterizes as the corporation’s unlawful disregard of a 2020 High Court ruling that established her right to equal treatment with her counterpart at the Port of Spain City Corporation. The court had previously determined she should receive pension and gratuity calculations based on salary range 59D.

The controversy stems from the corporation’s alleged failure to implement Justice Kevin Ramcharan’s April 2020 decision, which found Henry’s right to equality of treatment by a public authority had been violated. Despite this judicial mandate, the corporation reportedly calculated her benefits at the lower salary range 41E.

Henry, who dedicated 39 years of service to the corporation before retiring in June 2023, asserts that the organization was fully aware of its obligations long before her retirement. Upon leaving her position, she received only a reduced interim pension of $3,500 without her gratuity payment.

Legal correspondence from March 2024 indicated the corporation was quantifying and auditing her benefits, but subsequent communications revealed the maintained position of calculating at the lower salary range. Henry’s legal representatives argue this constitutes a direct violation of court orders and breaches principles of procedural fairness.

The case, which will next be heard on February 9, 2026, seeks orders compelling the corporation to recalculate and pay all owed amounts according to the correct salary classification. Attorneys Kingsley Walesby and Sunil Gopaul Gosine are representing Henry in this matter that highlights ongoing challenges in public sector pension administration.