A senior magistrate expressed disappointment that Senior Counsel Sophia Chote has been absent on two consecutive days for the preliminary inquiry into the murder Daniel Guerra. Acting Deputy Chief Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan refused to grant Chote's request to adjourn the matter to tomorrow. Instead he adjourned it to December 18, when he will be on vacation.
Rambachan's last day in the San Fernando Magistrates Court before he goes on leave is Friday. Chote, who is representing PC Darwin Ghouralal, was absent last week Tuesday and the matter adjourned to yesterday. In a letter to the court, Chote said she was not given sufficient time to prepare her cross-examination, because of the State's late disclosure of certain statements, one of them only arriving at her law chambers at 8 am yesterday.
In order to do justice to Ghouralal's case, and since he was entitled to due process, Chote said, she asked for the matter be adjourned to tomorrow. Rambachan said: "The court observes that Senior Counsel is not saying she cannot come to court. It appears that she chooses to absent herself in order to ensure the matter cannot proceed."
He said Chote had taken away all the court's judicial options on two consecutive occasions. Saying the court could not accommodate the case tomorrow, Rambachan said: "I am truly disappointed." The preliminary inquiry into the death of eight-year-old Daniel Guerra began in November 2011, nine months after the child was murdered.
Daniel's decomposing body was found in a river on the Tarouba Link Road on February 20, 2011, two days after he went missing. He left his Bedeau Street, Gasparillo home to go to a nearby parlour, and never returned.
