Hearings of the trial of 12 men accused of murdering businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman has been adjourned for the rest of this week because of yet another juror-related issue.
Prosecutors were expected to complete the testimony of the State's main witness Keon Gloster during yesterday's hearing but when the case was called in the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court the foreman of the 12 member-jury informed the court of the issue.
He said his mother had passed away over the weekend and he needed time off the trial to prepare for and plan her funeral.
Presiding Judge Malcolm Holdip expressed condolences to the foreman before he adjourned the case to next Tuesday.
Gloster, who last week complained that being required to travel to court daily during his protracted testimony was having a dire effect on his finances, appeared dejected when he was informed of the adjournment.
Naipaul-Coolman was abducted from her home at Radix Road, Lange Park, Chaguanas, on December 19, 2006.
She was allegedly held captive at a house in Upper La Puerta, Diego Martin, shared by three of the accused men, before she was eventually killed.
Gloster, who is related to most of the accused men, was allegedly present at the time of the execution and while her body was being disposed of.
He has since claimed he was coerced by police into signing a series of sworn statements implicating the accused men. He has been deemed as a hostile witness and the statements have been tendered into evidence and read to the jury.
Who's in court
The 12 men before the jury and Justice Malcolm Holdip are Allan "Scanny" Martin, twin brothers Shervon and Devon Peters and their older brother Anthony Dwayne Gloster, siblings Keida and Jamille Garcia, brothers Marlon and Earl Trimmingham, Ronald Armstrong, Antonio Charles, Joel Fraser and Lyndon James. A 13th man, Raphael Williams, was charged with the crime but died in prison in 2011 of complications arising from sickle cell anaemia.
Legal team
Their legal team includes Ulric Skerritt, Joseph Pantor, Selwyn Mohammed, Lennox Sankersingh, Ian Brooks, Wayne Sturge, Mario Merritt, Richard Valere, Kwesi Bekoe, Colin Selvon, Vince Charles, Christian Chandler, Delicia Helwig and Alexia Romero. The prosecution team includes Senior Counsel Israel Khan and Gilbert Peterson who are being assisted by senior state prosecutors Joy Balkaran and Kelly Thompson.