标签： Trinidad and Tobago

The head of one of the Caribbean region’s leading public sector trade unions has moved to quash swirling rumors and misinformation surrounding stalled wage talks for public health workers, confirming that negotiations have hit a long-awaited key turning point.

Felisha Thomas, president of the Public Services Association (PSA), made the clarifying remarks in an official statement shared to the union’s Facebook page on Wednesday, pushing back against growing online and offline commentary that claimed the organization had sidelined employees of regional health authorities (RHAs) and left their salary demands out of ongoing bargaining processes. Thomas dismissed these claims as deliberate bad-faith attempts to stoke internal conflict and manufacture unnecessary anxiety among frontline and administrative health workers.

“Let me state clearly and unequivocally: the PSA has not forgotten RHA workers, nor have you been left out of negotiations,” Thomas emphasized in her address.

The collective bargaining process for RHA employees was formally launched by the union back in January 2026, when PSA tabled its formal proposals to authorities. The union’s demands include a 10% across-the-board base salary increase, as well as the permanent consolidation of the existing Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA) into workers’ base pay.

Thomas confirmed that since the submission of these proposals, the process has adhered strictly to the long-standing, standardized administrative framework that has guided all prior RHA wage negotiations. Under the established rules, after the union submits its demands, regional health authorities must first conduct detailed financial modeling to calculate three core cost components: the ongoing annual recurrent expenditure that would come from implementing the revised salary scale, the value of back pay owed to currently active RHA employees, and the total arrears due to retired RHA workers who are covered by the current negotiating period.

These granular calculations, which are drawn directly from data on the total number of active and retired workers impacted by the new salary terms, are a non-negotiable prerequisite for moving the proposal up the administrative chain of command. Once finalized by the RHAs, the data is passed to the Ministry of Health for review before being forwarded to the Human Resource Advisory Committee, which issues formal guidance on next steps for implementation.

In a major update for workers, Thomas confirmed that the Ministry of Health has now completed all required calculations and formally submitted the full package of documentation to the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) for the next phase of review. “This represents a significant milestone in the process and confirms that negotiations continue to progress through the established channels,” Thomas said.

The PSA president acknowledged that workers are eager for a resolution to the years-long wait for salary adjustments, but noted that the union cannot skip mandatory administrative procedures to speed up the process unilaterally. Even so, she stressed that union representatives have maintained constant engagement with government officials at every stage of the process, and are monitoring every development closely to keep the process moving forward.

Thomas once again pushed back against outside attempts to create frustration among RHA staff, reiterating that the current timeline and process match exactly the framework that has been used to complete and implement all previous RHA wage agreements.

Based on the progress achieved so far, the PSA expects that the CPO will issue formal implementation instructions in the near future, paving the way for final arrangements including the rollout of revised salaries.

“The PSA remains fully committed to securing a fair and equitable outcome for all RHA workers. We recognise the invaluable contribution made by healthcare professionals, administrative staff, technical personnel, support workers and all employees who continue to deliver critical services throughout the health sector,” Thomas said.

She closed by urging union members to ignore unfounded speculation and deliberate misinformation designed to split workers and distract from the ongoing bargaining process, reaffirming that the PSA will continue to prioritize RHA workers’ interests and provide timely updates as the negotiation process moves forward.

A 26-year-old man from Palo Seco, Richard Renalis, has been refused bail after being formally charged with the murder of 12-year-old Mercedez Layne, whose death was ruled to be caused by blunt force trauma following an autopsy. Renalis made his first virtual court appearance before Master Kateisha Ambrose-Persadsingh, who publicly read the charge filed by Corporal Byer-Baptiste of the region’s Homicide Bureau of Investigations. The prosecution was led by Constable Kevin Felix, a serving legal officer for the case, while court-appointed defense attorney Cavell Sylvester represented Renalis during the hearing.

The case traces back to late last week, when the 12-year-old primary school student, a standard four pupil, got into a privately owned vehicle around 11 a.m. on Saturday that was supposed to transport her to her home on Los Iros Road. When she never arrived at her destination, alarm bells were immediately raised, triggering a large-scale multi-party search effort. Relatives, close friends, local villagers, uniformed police officers, and members of the Hunters Search and Rescue Team — a volunteer group helmed by Vallence Rambharat — combed the surrounding area for hours before her remains were discovered the following Sunday.

Her body was located in a heavily overgrown, bushy stretch of land alongside Carapal Road in Erin. Following the recovery of the body, forensic examiners conducted an autopsy that confirmed the cause of death was blunt force trauma.

Charging authorization came on the Wednesday after the discovery of the body, when Joan Honore-Paul, special advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), formally issued instructions to file the murder charge against Renalis. During the virtual hearing, Master Ambrose-Persadsingh issued a scheduling order mandating that the prosecution complete and submit its full case file to the DPP. A date of September 8 was set for the assignment of a dedicated State attorney to the prosecution team. Renalis was immediately remanded into custody following the hearing, with the case’s sufficiency review scheduled to take place on February 4 of next year.

A sudden and tragic death has shaken the quiet community of Petit Valley, after a 15-year-old local girl collapsed unexpectedly at her family residence on Wednesday, leaving authorities with more questions than answers about what led to her passing.

Amy Reverand, who lived on Cassia Drive in the area, was formally pronounced dead at St James Infirmary just 15 minutes past 5 p.m. that same day, following urgent emergency efforts to save her life.

According to official police reports, Amy’s mother Maria Walcott told investigators that the teen first began complaining of a severe headache around 3:45 p.m. After Walcott prepared soup for her daughter to eat, Amy walked to the family bathroom a few minutes later to use the facility. When Walcott did not hear from her daughter after an extended period, she went to check on the teen and found her lying unresponsive on the bathroom floor, unconscious and unable to be roused.

Walcott immediately placed a call for emergency medical assistance, and both Emergency Health Services crews and patrol officers from the West End Police Station rushed to the scene to provide care. First responders worked quickly to stabilize Amy before transporting her to the nearest public infirmary, where a full medical team worked to treat her. Despite their best efforts, Amy was declared deceased at 5:15 p.m.

Police have confirmed that preliminary examinations of the teen’s body found no visible evidence of foul play or violent trauma, ruling out immediate suspicion of assault or foul play. However, investigators have ordered a full post-mortem autopsy to pinpoint the exact cause of death, and the results are still pending as of the latest updates.

During the course of initial interviews with the family, Walcott shared that her daughter had previously been diagnosed with depression and underwent clinical evaluation for the mental health condition, but she was not taking any prescription medication for it at the time of her death. In a separate development that has added another layer of uncertainty to the case, investigators located an electronic cigarette inside Amy’s personal bedroom. Walcott told responding officers she had no idea her daughter had been using the vaping device, and did not know how long Amy had possessed it.

A Las Lomas resident has been handed a remaining prison sentence of just over nine years for the fatal knife killing of his pregnant mother, after the High Court approved a plea agreement that downgraded the original murder charge to manslaughter.

Michael Joseph, now 25 years old, received an initial sentence starting point of 27 years behind bars for the manslaughter conviction. This term was adjusted downward to account for mitigating circumstances, a sentencing discount for his early guilty plea, and credit for the more than six-and-a-half years he has already spent in remand detention. The adjustment left Joseph with nine years, one month, and 29 days remaining to serve.

The sentencing was delivered this Wednesday by Justice Sherene Murray-Bailey, who agreed that Joseph’s violent outburst was triggered by provocation tied to chronic psychological trauma he developed from childhood experiences.

The crime dates back to August 24, 2019, when Joseph was just 18 years old. On that day, he stabbed his 36-year-old mother Allistra Mack-Kampo to death inside the family’s Las Lomas home. At the time of her killing, Mack-Kampo was four months pregnant with another child.

The plea arrangement was negotiated between Joseph’s legal team from the Public Defenders’ Department and prosecution lawyers from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. As part of the deal, Joseph entered a guilty plea to manslaughter, avoiding a full public trial for murder.

Outlining the court-agreed facts of the case, prosecutor Chenelle Moe explained that the brutal attack began shortly before 11 p.m. Joseph’s aunt, Rodha Mack, told investigating officers she was woken by loud screams and heard her sister (Mack-Kampo) yelling at her son to stop his assault.

When Mack rushed into the bedroom to intervene, she found Joseph wearing surgical gloves and stabbing Mack-Kampo repeatedly at the foot of the family bed. When Mack stepped in to stop him, Joseph turned his violence on her, leaving her with severe injuries including a fractured skull.

Joseph then turned on his five-year-old younger sister, grabbing her by the throat and dragging her into the home’s living room. The young girl managed to break free and escape outside, covered in her own blood. Relatives who had gathered at the scene alongside responding neighbours were able to restrain Joseph until local police officers arrived to take him into custody.

A post-mortem examination conducted after the killing confirmed that Mack-Kampo had sustained 41 separate stab wounds. Investigating officers recovered a broken knife and blood-stained surgical gloves from the crime scene.

During his initial police interview, Joseph openly admitted to carrying out the attack, explaining that a buildup of unresolved frustration had finally made him snap. He has since stated that he feels deep remorse for his actions and has asked his surviving family for forgiveness.

During sentencing arguments, defence attorney Michelle Ali and instructing attorney Sarah Julien argued that Joseph’s violent actions stemmed from severe childhood neglect, long-term emotional instability, and struggles with substance abuse. Court documents presented during the hearing detailed a troubled upbringing marked by constant family upheaval, rejection from caregivers, and early exposure to illicit drugs and alcohol.

Notably, even Rodha Mack — who was seriously injured in the attack — and Joseph’s grandfather Daniel Melville submitted formal written statements to the court saying they had forgiven Joseph, and urging Justice Murray-Bailey to prioritize rehabilitation over extended additional incarceration.

In her final sentencing ruling, Justice Murray-Bailey confirmed the court accepted the 27-year starting sentence for manslaughter, but applied significant reductions to account for mitigating factors, Joseph’s age at the time of the offense, his lack of any prior criminal convictions, and the mandatory one-third discount for his early guilty plea.

After subtracting the six years, eight months, and 27 days Joseph had already completed in pre-trial detention, the judge ordered the defendant to serve the remaining outstanding prison term.

She also issued a formal direction to prison authorities to place Joseph in targeted rehabilitative programming, including anger management courses, continuing education, and evidence-based substance abuse treatment. The judge further ordered that professional counselling services be provided to Joseph’s surviving family members, who have all been deeply affected by the tragedy.

Joseph also received convictions for the related offenses of wounding Rodha Mack with intent to cause harm and common assault against his younger sister, with the judge applying sentences of time served for these crimes.

A violent home invasion that unfolded in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday has left a 72-year-old St Margaret’s, Claxton Bay resident and her 36-year-old daughter living in persistent fear, after two armed intruders broke into their family home, robbed them of valuables including the pensioner’s life savings, and left the pair bound and terrified for their lives.

The harrowing incident began shortly after 2:30 a.m., when the two women, who were sleeping in separate beds in the same room, were jolted awake by the unknown intruders. Speaking publicly about the attack for the first time during a recent on-site interview, the elderly victim recalled the overwhelming terror of that moment: the first thing she felt was a heavy hand clamped over her mouth, followed by an immediate death threat if she made any attempt to scream for help. The intruders turned next to her daughter, threatening to kill the pensioner immediately if the younger woman refused to comply with their demands. Too afraid to resist, the daughter stayed silent, just as the attackers ordered.

After securing the pair, the intruders used plastic tie-straps to bind both women’s hands to their bed frames, leaving them completely immobilized. Police investigations later confirmed the attackers had gained entry to the property by removing glass louvre panes from an external window, a calculated entry that suggests the robbery was pre-planned. Over the course of the attack, the intruders ransacked every room in the home, turning furniture and belongings upside down in their search for valuables. Among the items stolen were the pensioner’s pension payment held in an envelope, an additional sum of personal cash, multiple cellphones, and other unspecified personal belongings. Once they had stolen everything of value, the attackers fled the property through a front door, leaving the two bound women alone in the darkened home.

In a stroke of luck that spared the pair from further harm, the daughter was eventually able to wriggle free of her restraints. She immediately untied her mother and contacted local police to report the attack. When responding officers arrived at the scene, they confirmed the intruders’ entry and exit routes, and launched a formal investigation into the robbery.

When local media outlet the Express visited the ravaged home on Wednesday, four days after the attack, the elderly pensioner said she has not been able to shake the trauma of the experience. “I was only calling on Jesus’ name. I said, ‘Jesus, help me. This is the time I need you. Let them go with everything, but spare my life.’ And he did. It was terrible, was awful,” she shared, her account still marked by the shock of the violence. She noted that the intruders came prepared for the robbery, knowing exactly what they were coming for. “They came planned to do everything. They take my purse and envelope with my pension,” she said.

Now, as the investigation continues under the lead of PC Duncan, the victim is calling for urgent action to hold the attackers accountable. She said she hopes law enforcement will prioritize the case, and that the courts will hand down strict penalties once the intruders are caught. “I feel they should be more serious with criminals. When they catch them, deal good with them,” she said, echoing a widespread call for tougher action against residential robberies in local communities.

A suspect who went viral on social media for openly brandishing and firing a gun in a state-owned Housing Development Corporation (HDC) residential neighborhood in San Fernando was killed in a gunfight with police on Wednesday.

The incident unfolded after two separate clips of the man circulated widely across social platforms over the previous days. The first footage shows the unidentified man, known locally by the nickname ‘Manny’, walking along a public road in the Cypress Hills area of Union Hall, gripping what witnesses confirm was a silver semi-automatic handgun. The second, more alarming clip captures the same individual approaching a local apartment block, lifting his weapon skyward, and discharging a round into open air.

Once the videos began spreading among local residents and social media users, immediate calls for urgent police intervention flooded in. Community members raised sharp alarms over public safety, noting that the armed man was moving freely through a crowded residential area, putting children, families and passersby at unnecessary risk. Many demanded that law enforcement act quickly to take the man into custody before a random firing incident turned deadly for an innocent bystander.

Responding to the public outcry and official reports of the footage, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service launched a fast-track investigation into the incident. Alongside the viral video evidence, investigators also received separate tip-offs that the suspect had made direct death threats against a serving police officer in the region, and was linked to a string of recent break-ins and violent home invasions in the Cypress Hills neighborhood.

By early Wednesday morning, law enforcement had positively identified the suspect and assembled an tactical unit to take him into custody. At approximately 11 a.m., the police team tracked Manny to Building 32 on Sullivan Extension, located within the Montgomery Circular development in Cypress Hills, where he was located and confronted.

According to official police accounts, the encounter quickly escalated when the suspect opened fire on the responding officers, triggering an exchange of gunfire between the man and the police team. The suspect was struck by gunfire during the confrontation. He was immediately rushed by emergency services to the San Fernando General Hospital, the island’s main public medical facility in the southern region, where attending doctors pronounced him dead shortly after arrival.

Local authorities have not yet released the suspect’s full identity, nor announced any formal timeline for an independent review of the shooting, which is standard protocol for law enforcement-involved fatalities.

In a landmark judge-alone trial delivered Friday, a Maracas St Joseph man facing charges for a high-profile 2020 double homicide has walked free after a High Court justice threw out the prosecution’s core evidence as fatally unreliable.

Warren Small, 48, who also goes by the street names “Quincy” and “Blacks”, faced four total charges: two counts of murder for Darrie Simon and Sharlene Ramkissoon, plus unlawful possession of a firearm and matching ammunition. The two victims were killed in a brazen daytime shooting on March 3, 2020, outside a mini-mart at Acono Junction, Maracas, St Joseph, a case that shook the small local community for nearly four years.

The entire prosecution case rested entirely on the testimony of Joseph Tinto, Darrie Simon’s mother, who was present inside the mini-mart during the attack. Tinto told the court she had known Small since he was a child, and claimed she was able to identify him when the gunman’s face covering slipped for a brief moment during the shooting.

But presiding Justice Nalini Singh outlined multiple critical flaws in Tinto’s identification that cast irreparable reasonable doubt over the prosecution’s narrative. In her ruling, Singh noted that the gunman was almost fully concealed by a hooded sweatshirt and bandana throughout the incident, meaning any glimpse of his face could only have lasted a matter of seconds amid the chaos and terror of a sudden violent attack. Compounding this issue, Tinto was positioned behind a thick glass display counter inside the store at the time of the shooting, a barrier that the court ruled further distorted and compromised her ability to make a clear visual identification.

Singh also highlighted conflicting testimony from a second independent eyewitness, Celine Rebeiro, who not only failed to identify Small as the gunman but also described the shooter as wearing dark sunglasses — a key detail that never appeared in Tinto’s account of the incident. Beyond the problematic eyewitness testimony, the court also called out significant investigative failures by law enforcement, including the complete absence of a formal police identification parade and a failure to conduct a prompt, official reconstruction of the crime scene to verify witness accounts.

After weighing all the evidence, Justice Singh concluded that the crown could not overcome reasonable doubt over the identity of the actual shooter, and entered not guilty verdicts on all four counts against Small, resulting in his immediate discharge from custody. Prosecutors Shervon Noriega, Rebecca Trim-Wright and Khi Cambridge represented the State during the trial, while Small was defended by court-appointed defense attorneys Colin Selvon and Anastasia Weekes.