An upset Yasin Abu Bakr, left, leaves the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court yesterday with his wife, Indrani. PHOTO: KEITH MATTHEWS

Jamaat al Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr became quite upset in the Coroner’s Court yesterday when he was told to return to court next Tuesday, where he is the subject of an inquest into the death of a man 11 years ago. Bakr said he was told that the inquest would have ended yesterday, but he was being told to return to court on Tuesday, four days after the start of Ramadan.

Coroner Nalini Singh, presiding in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court, had planned to complete the inquest yesterday after summoning the last 12 witnesses. But only four turned up in court, forcing the coroner to send more summonses for the other witnesses, including Brent “Big Brent” Miller, the so-called star witness in the matter. When told to return to court on Tuesday, Bakr replied, “if I am alive.” This caused Singh to raise her eyebrows. Bakr added: “I was told that the matter would have come to an end today. Now, I am being told to come back next Tuesday. My daughter has to go to university in London, and I have already put off the trip to accommodate this matter. I don’t know why this matter is taking so long, but it keeps delaying this trip.”

Pamela Elder, SC, attorney for Bakr, went outside the courtroom and spoke to her client. When she returned, Elder told the court that her client would be in court next Tuesday. But Bakr was still visibly upset that the matter was put off again. Yesterday, four witnesses gave evidence, but no one was able to identify the person(s) who killed Israel Sammy on May 20, 1998. Hasina Sammy, sister of the dead man, said she was alseep that morning at their home at Darra Street, Boissierre No 1, Maraval, when she heard voices saying “police.” A tearful Hasina said three men, dressed in black and with their faces covered, entered the house. One of the men held on to Hasina’s nightie. Several people in the house were tied up and placed on mattresses on the floor. Another man was asking Sammy about the drugs, but Sammy said he did not know what they were talking about.

Two men left the house with Sammy, and according to Hasina, two gunshots were heard sometime later. Nathaniel Charles, a firefighter and cousin of the dead man, said after the alarm was raised that Sammy was taken from the house, he went with three other men down to a nearby ravine. Charles said he found Sammy in a crouched position with his hands tied behind his back. Charles said Sammy appeared dead. Charles ran out of the bush to get a sheet to assist in bringing Sammy out of the ravine. By the time this was done, Sammy was dead, although his body was taken by the police to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. The court heard that the summons was never served on Brent Miller, whose statement to the police is the main plank of the inquest. Miller, whose last address was listed as St Ann’s, could not be found, and the Coroner issued another summons for him to attend on the next date.

The Killing
According to a police report, on May 20, 1998, around 2.15 am, four men went to Sammys’ home at Darra Street, Boissiere Village No 1, and knocked on the door. One of the men said, “Police, police, open the door.” Sammy opened the door and was confronted by four masked men. He was dragged to a nearby ravine and shot twice in the head. He died on the spot. No one was ever held for Sammy’s killing.