Less than two weeks after 13-year-old Andrea Lallan and her disabled uncle were fatally shot, a 27-year-old man from their neighbourhood yesterday appeared in court charged with their murders.
Tafaire “Taffy” Bain was denied bail and remanded into custody after appearing before Rio Claro Senior Magistrate Ava Vandenburg-Bailey. He faced additional charges of attempting to murder Andrea’s father Eddy, 51, and possession of a gun and ammunition.
Andrea, her uncle Sylvan, 49, who moved around in a wheelchair, and her father were at their Old Mayaro Road, Libertville, Rio Claro home around 2 am on September 29, when a man entered the house and shot them. Andrea and her uncle died at the scene while her father remains warded at the Sangre Grande Hospital. Andrea attended the St Therese RC Primary School. Hours after the murders, a couple appeared in court charged with allegedly committing two counts of sexual penetration against the teenager. The woman got bail in the sum of $500,000, while the man was denied bail. Bain was arrested last Monday following inquiries by a team from the Homicide Bureau Region II, supervised by Snr Supt Rishi Singh, ASP Victor, Insp Ramjag and Sgt Ramsahi Singh. Last Saturday, Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard instructed the officers to charge the accused.
The magistrate yesterday advised Bain of his right to apply to the High Court for bail and remanded him into custody. He is expected to reappear on November 6.