Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard went to visit his father on Sunday but instead found his decomposing body in his home. Police said foul play is not suspected.
A police report stated that Gaspard’s father, Joseph Gaspard, lived alone at Hickling Street in San Fernando. Around 5.30 pm on Sunday, Gaspard arrived at his father’s home. However, the 89-year-old did not respond to his calls.
Gaspard used a spare key to enter the house and found his father’s body face down on a bed.
Police said the elderly man had health issues, including hypertension.
A neighbour told police he last saw the elder Gaspard around 8.30pm on Friday, standing by a window in his apartment.
A District Medical Officer viewed the body and ordered the removal to a funeral home pending an autopsy at the San Fernando mortuary. Police said the body bore no marks of violence.
Allan Andrews, a neighbour, recalled that the elderly Gaspard was pleasant but kept to himself. He recalled seeing him walking on mornings. Andrews said he would see his son visiting him often. Andrews expressed condolences to the bereaved family.
Gaspard’s sister Joanne Gaspard fell to her death from the balcony of her home in Vistabella after intruders broke into her house on November 13, 2008. Anthony Sankar and Marcus Gresham were charged with her murder, and in 2023, they pleaded guilty to felony murder.
Justice Devan Rampersad started with a 24-year sentence, but after the relevant discounts were applied, Sankar received a prison term of one year and 30 days, while Gresham was sentenced to one year and nine months.