An Appeal Court Judge has called on the Judiciary to review its medical emergency protocols following an incident in which retired deputy Chief State Solicitor Duncan Neil Byam passed away after collapsing at the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain yesterday morning.
Appellate Judge Prakash Moosai made the call yesterday afternoon hours after Byam collapsed while presenting submissions in an appeal over the granting of mining licenses by the Ministry of Energy.
Guardian Media understands that as Byam collapsed he was immediately assisted by Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, who was representing another party in the case.
Mendes reportedly cradled Byam and gently laid him on the floor of the courtroom.
While those present anxiously waited on paramedics to respond, a Judiciary employee attempted to resuscitate an unconscious Byam by following instructions given by a doctor who was contacted via video conferencing.
Sources said paramedics arrived at the location almost 20 minutes later and took Byam to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Addressing what transpired during the hearing of a separate appeal, Justice Moosai suggested that a review of the Judiciary’s protocols may result in a more expeditious response time.
“The response system ought to be a bit quicker in my view,” he said, as he noted that Judiciary staff may need counselling as they were traumatised by the experience.
Justice Moosai and his colleagues Justices Gillian Lucky and James Aboud also expressed condolences to Byam’s family and paid tribute to him, describing him as a legal luminary.
Noting the Byam spent almost his entire legal career as a state attorney in the Office of the Attorney General, Justice Moosai said: “His character was unimpeachable.”
In his brief address to the court, Mendes noted that Byam was well respected by his peers.
“He was always a pleasure to deal with whether you were working with him or against him,” Mendes said.
“He was kind and mannerly. He was a comrade, and I will miss him.”
Also addressing the panel was former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, SC, who noted that he met Byam when he entered the legal profession.
“He had a sense of humour and an affable disposition,” Ramlogan said.
Ramlogan also sought to highlight a landmark case in which the appeal court upheld a novel submission from Byam.
“The bar has lost an institution,” he said.
Following news of his passing, lawyers who interacted with Byam during their careers took to social media to pay tribute.
“In a fair country that rewards merit, he would have been made Senior Counsel and our country’s Solicitor General years ago!” attorney Larry Lalla said.
In her Facebook post, Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial said she met Byam when she joined the ministry as an in-service trainee in 2005.
“He was pleasant, quirky and really smart,” she said.
“He gave many years of service to the State (which is no easy task) and I always felt that he was undervalued.”
Attorney Nafeesa Mohammed also shared her memories of Byam when they worked together in the ministry.
“I worked with Neil in the early days of his career. I pray that he rests in peace,” she said.
The news of Byam’s passing comes as former Judge Stanley John continues his investigation into the disappearance of a file in a $20 million malicious prosecution lawsuit brought by nine men that were acquitted of the murder of businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman.
Last week, John was appointed by Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, to investigate how the file disappeared after being served on the Solicitor General’s Office in 2020.
The file was subsequently found.
