Shane Superville
Senior Reporter
shane.superville@guardian.co.tt
Four years after being charged with misbehaviour in public office, former head of the now-disbanded Special Operations Response Team (SORT), Insp Mark Hernandez, has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Despite the dismissal of the charge, Hernandez believes corrupt elements in authority were behind the case against him.
He was charged in 2021, months after two suspects—Andrew “Solo” Morris and Joel Belcon—died in police custody. Both men were detained in connection with the January 2021 kidnapping and murder of Arima court clerk Andrea Bharatt.
Autopsies revealed Morris and Belcon died from multiple blunt force trauma consistent with a beating.
However, the charge against Hernandez was dismissed yesterday by Justice Adia Mohammed.
At a media briefing at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, hours later, Hernandez’s attorney, Gerald Ramdeen, said the matter was thrown out because there was no evidence showing Hernandez acted unlawfully. He noted that none of the 27 witness statements identified Hernandez as having encouraged any officer to act illegally.
Hernandez, who led several high-profile police raids and anti-crime operations during his time at SORT, said he was relieved but remained troubled by the nature of the accusations.
He claimed that one officer tried to “manufacture evidence” against him and alleged that someone solicited help from a prison gang to have him killed.
“To this date, I haven’t seen anybody brought before the court to answer a question of soliciting a homicide,” he said. “And one of the officers who attempted to pervert the course of justice was rewarded. This person, a junior officer, now sits outside the police service as a deputy director of a state agency. I hope the Commissioner hearing this seeks to find out from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region II about this report.”
Asked if he harboured resentment toward the TTPS, Hernandez said he remained a professional and believed the service was greater than the actions of any one individual. However, he was still undecided about whether he would return to active duty.
He also called for the reinstatement of other SORT officers suspended after the deaths of Morris and Belcon.
“Reinstate all the officers who have been suspended, who are not suspects of any crime. They are not part of any disciplinary proceedings as far as I’m aware, and I’m requesting that they be re-instated immediately.”
One such officer, WPC Laura Gadar, was taken in for questioning but never charged.
Ramdeen added that over the four-year period, no disciplinary charges were brought against any member of the unit.
He also pointed to the timing of his client’s arrest in 2021 as “suspicious,” noting it came just days before Hernandez was due to be considered for the post of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP).
“Perhaps there are people who need to answer whether it was just a coincidence that four days before Insp Hernandez, who was number four on the list before Parliament, was charged. It just seemed too coincidental,” Ramdeen said.
Hernandez was also successful in challenging the promotion process from Inspector to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), but was unable to benefit due to his suspension.
Contacted yesterday, former police commissioner Gary Griffith said he was not surprised the charge was dismissed. He called the allegations “a joke.”
He said the arrest and charge were linked to Hernandez being a top candidate for the DCP post and claimed some in authority were fearful he would disrupt criminal networks they benefitted from.
“I will always say there are rogue elements in the police service, and some were concerned about me cleaning up the service and removing them,” Griffith said.
“They used some of their political friends to get rid of me and those closest to me who were helping clean up not just the TTPS, but the country.
“Crime is a massive business. People like myself, Mark Hernandez, and others were interrupting major criminal enterprises. But God doesn’t sleep.”
