Two University of the West Indies students arrested during Thursday’s protest at the St Augustine campus were each granted $5,000 bail when they appeared in the Tunapuna Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
Nathaniel George, 19 and Brian Richards, 23, appeared before Magistrate Sherene Murray-Bailey around 10 am, charged with obstructing a police officer in the conduct of his duty and resisting arrest.
The students pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The students were represented by attorney Keith Scottland and Prakash Ramadhar, who is also the MP for St Augustine.
The defence team requested that the complainant disclose the station diary extracts and records of the initial complaint that led to the police going to the scene; any calls, whatsApps, or messages that shows who made the call; CCTV footage of the events and all unused materials.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to November 16.
According to the police’s reports, the students were arrested after they allegedly tried to prevent officers from reopening UWI’s southern gates to traffic during a protest by students who were calling for UWI management to do better with the handling of student safety on the campus.
The protest was sparked by Tuesday’s sexual assault of a second-year female student by an unknown assailant at the Student Activity Centre (SAC).
Corporal Mitchell, of the St Joseph Police Station, charged Geroge while Richards was charged by PC Superville, of the Tunapuna Police Station.
Student Guild president Darrion Narine and some of his executive were on hand to offer support to the students even as they walked out of the court.
PCA probes police conduct
The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) is now conducting an independent investigation into a complaint about the conduct of officers during the student protest at St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies.
The PCA said it had received a complaint via the ‘PCA Mobile App’ regarding the officers’ conduct during “an alleged unlawful protest” on October 18, 2018, which resulted in the arrest of and subsequent laying of charges against two male students who were allegedly participants in the said protest.
The PCA said it has started an investigation pursuant to Section 26 of the Police Complaints Authority Act, Chapter 15:05.
It is now asking for any witnesses or persons with information regarding the incident to contact them at 800-2PCA/800-2722, 627-4383/627-4386, info@pca.org.tt or www.facebook.com/PoliceComplaintsAuthority.