Main witness: I was never alone with her

The State’s main witness against Marlon King yesterday denied he had beaten four-year-old Amy Emily Annamunthodo to get back at her mother for allegedly stealing his sim card. Defence lawyer El Farouk Hosein put to witness Andre Anthony Rocke yesterday he was the person who inflicted the injuries that subsequently led to Amy’s death five years ago. Rocke was being cross-examined as the trial resumed before Justice Anthony Carmona in the San Fenrando First Criminal Court after a long hiatus. King is accused of murdering his stepchild, Amy, who was pronounced dead on arrival to the San Fernando General Hospital on May 15, 2006. Rocke had testified that on the fateful day he saw King, through a hole in King’s front door, punching Amy 20 to 30 times while she hung from her hair.

Putting to Rocke that King left him alone in the house with Amy while he went for cigarettes, Hosein said: “I am suggesting to you that any injuries suffered by that child would have been at your hands.” Rocke replied: “No that is not true, sir.” He said he was never left alone with the child and he and King were watching a pornographic film while Amy was crying and humming in a bedroom. Rocke admitted, however, that he was involved in a heated argument with King over a stolen simcard a few weeks before Amy’s death. Rocke said he had left his cellular phone to charge at King’s house but when he returned the simcard was missing. Rocke said he took a knife from King’s kitchen and threatened him but he was just “grand-charging”. He said King ran him out of his house with a hayfork.

Rocke said he did not know Anita had stolen the card but later he admitted in the preliminary inquiry he had said that Anita stole the card. Hosein said: “While you were running out of the house you said you were going to get even with her.” Rocke replied: “No I did not,” adding that Anita was not home when the incident took place. He admitted in June 2006 he was convicted for malicious wounding but denied he was a man of violence. Hosein put to him that Amy had defecated so King took her downstairs to clean her up. Hosein also said a short while after King returned Rocke asked for a cigarette and King went out the road to get it. King denied those things happened, insisting he was never left alone with Amy. Another witness, Sgt Shawn Dhilpaul, who began his evidence in chief yesterday, will continue when the matter resumes today.