The audio recordings of the ransom calls made to the family of murdered real estate agent Gerald Gopaul cannot be located by police.
This was revealed as the trial of eight men accused of the crime continued before Justice Norton Jack at the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
The admission was made by Sgt Deyal Ramlakhan, the police officer that was tasked with the responsibility to install the recording equipment after Gopaul's son Dennis received the first ransom call, a day after his father was abducted on July 8, 2005.
Questioned by defence attorney Wayne Sturge over the recordings of the seven other calls made to Gopaul's family, Ramlakhan claimed that the recording device and tapes of the conversations would have been stored at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (AKU)'s office after the investigation concluded.
He claimed that he attempted to retrieve the items when he was summoned to court to testify but they could not be located.
Ramlakhan, who claimed that his role was to advised Gopaul's family, said that three of his colleagues were also assigned to the family's home to monitor the ransom calls.
While being cross-examined by defence attorney Mario Merritt, Ramlakhan stated that he used a caller ID device to trace the telephone calls and gave the information to his colleagues at the AKU.
However, Ramlakhan could not say if his colleagues visited the locations where the calls emanated from.
Also testifying yesterday was Sgt Intab Ramjohn, who months after Gopaul's body had been found visited a forested site in Bourg Malatresse, where Gopaul was believed to have been held captive.
Ramjohn said he collected a piece of cloth and a length of plastic tape, which he found wrapped around a tree. He also collected soil samples from the area surrounding the tree.
Ramjohn admitted that no fingerprints were found on the tape. He also presented a certificate of analysis from the Forensic Science Centre in St James, which showed that there was no blood on the cloth.
Gopaul, 52, was abducted from a bar near to his Diamond Village, San Fernando, home.
A $500,000 ransom was demanded but none was paid.
Gopaul's son was still negotiating with the kidnappers when on July 19, police contacted him when they found his father's body at Trantrail Road in St Augustine.
A post-mortem revealed that Gopaul had been beaten to death.
The accused men are Kenneth Pierre, Paul Boodoo, Ricardo Stevenson, Clifford Sorias, Marvin Critchlow, Kendall Joseph, Sherwin Crystom, and Kendell Davis.
The State's case against them is largely based on the evidence of former soldier Jason Percival, who allegedly helped planned and participated in Gopaul's initial abduction.
Percival has a criminal history as he was extradited for the kidnapping and murder of United States (US) war veteran Balram "Balo" Maharaj, who was on vacation in Trinidad when he was abducted almost four months before Gopaul.
Percival pleaded guilty to offences in the United States and has since returned to Trinidad after serving his 13-year sentence.
The men are also being represented by a team of attorneys including Pamela Elder, SC, Evans Welch, Frank Peterson, Richard Clarke-Wills, Hasine Shaikh, and Stephen Wilson. Anju Bhola and Giselle Ferguson-Heller are prosecuting.
