The stepfather of four-year-old Amarah Lallite will spend the next two weeks at the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital under observation.
Isan Constant was ordered to undergo the evaluation at the hospital after he made his first court appearance for the child’s brutal murder before High Court Master Margaret Sookraj-Goswami yesterday morning.
Guardian Media understands that the 39-year-old was reportedly topless when he first appeared before Master Sookraj-Goswami from the Arouca Police Station via video conferencing.
The court was then informed that Constant was reportedly found covered in faeces in the holding cell at the police station before the virtual hearing.
Master Sookraj-Goswami stood the case down briefly for police officers to assist Constant in getting dressed into clean clothing.
When the case resumed, Constant did not answer basic questions posed by Master Sookraj-Goswami, including even confirming his name.
Constant’s lawyer, Mario Merritt, applied for him to be sent for the mental health evaluation. His application was also supported by police prosecutors.
Constant was ordered to reappear in court on May 1.
According to reports, around 10.10 pm last Monday, Lallite’s mother Tricia Villaruel went to the police station with her clothes tattered seeking help.
Police officers later escorted her to her house at Fifth Street, Five Rivers, Arouca, which she shared with Constant and her daughter.
The child’s body was found in one of the bedrooms. Her severed head was found in a barrel at the back of the house.
Constant was arrested at the scene.
An autopsy conducted last week revealed that Amarah died of blunt force trauma to the head and decapitation.
It was alleged that a car battery was used to bludgeon the child and a pair of scissors was used to cut her lips and gouge out one of her eyes.
Constant was charged last Friday after homicide detectives sought advice from Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard, SC.