Constable held for girlfriend’s murder

A 40-year-old police constable has been detained after he reportedly chopped his female companion to death during a domestic dispute at her home in Sangre Grande, on Thursday night. According to police reports, around 10.30 pm, residents of an apartment building in Guaico complained of hearing screams from an apartment occupied by the constable’s 23-year-old girlfriend.

The landlord checked the apartment shortly after but the door was locked. Police said the landlord peeked through an open window and saw the woman lying unconscious on the floor with several large gashes on her head. The landlord told investigators that while looking through the window he saw a man exiting the back door of the woman’s apartment.

Sangre Grande police responded and several hours later they arrested the policeman at his house in Sangre Grande. The woman was chopped several times on the head and her body bore marks of violence, which police believe came from a struggle with her attacker. The officer was being interrogated by homicide detectives up to late yesterday. He is currently not on active duty after being sent on injury leave. He was said to be in a relationship with the woman for the past few months.

Investigators were yesterday trying to determine the cause of the couple’s argument, but said the couple was known to engage in heated rows. The murder toll for the year thus far now stands at 257. ASP Neville Sankar, Insp Lynford Coggins and acting Insp Wayne Lawrence of the Region Two Homicide Bureau are investigating.