Senior Reporter
derek.achong@guardian.co.tt
Lawyers representing the mentally ill daughter of a deceased prominent businessman have challenged the refusal to send her for psychiatric treatment and give her access to them after she was held on a Preventive Detention Order (PDO) for allegedly financing a gang.
Late last month, the legal team for Natalie Harford, led by Sophia Chote and Peter Carter, filed a judicial review and constitutional motion against the Commissioner of Prisons and the Office of the Attorney General.
Harford, the daughter of Mario’s Pizza founder Richard Harford who died in 2024, was arrested and detained under a PDO on April 4.
In the order, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander said: “The detainee, Natalie Harford, has been credibly identified as a financier of the Seven Gang, which is an Organised Crime Group (OCG). The OCG has confirmed access to a cache of high-powered firearms and ammunition and is currently engaged in disputes with rivals over territory.”
He contended that Harford provides cash support to fund the operations of the OCG, which include reprisal attacks on rivals in public spaces using high-powered rifles.
He also alleged that she issued threats to known members of the group to attack targets including private citizens and police officers.
In their court filings obtained by Guardian Media, Harford’s lawyers stated that she had a long-standing psychiatric history and has been under psychiatric care since 2008.
They claimed that her arrest and detention came days after she was warded at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital and referred to the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital.
“Instead of having her detained at the St Ann’s Hospital which can house mentally ill persons charged and convicted of criminal offences, the Claimant was detained by the First Defendant (Prisons Commissioner) at the Women’s Prison, Arouca,” they said.
They claimed that they attempted to interview her in order to get instructions to file a challenge to the PDO before the State of Emergency (SoE) Review Tribunal.
When the challenge came up before the tribunal in mid-April, an adjournment was granted to evaluate her fitness to give instructions and participate in the proceedings.
They wrote the Prisons Commissioner requesting Harford be transferred to the St Ann’s Hospital for the mental health assessment, but it (the request) was denied.
In early June, High Court Judge Kevin Ramcharan granted an interim injunction for Harford to be transferred for the assessment.
The assessment was conducted and Harford, who was under police and prison guard and placed in mechanical restraints at hospital, was returned to the prison early this month.
Harford’s lawyers claimed that since May, they and their client’s only child, who lives abroad, were denied the option of communicating with her via video conferencing.
They also claimed that prison officials decided against disclosing her medical records compiled during her lengthy detention.
In the lawsuit, Harford’s lawyers claimed that several prison rules were breached in relation to her. They also claimed breaches of her constitutional rights.
When the case came up for hearing before Justice Nirala Bansee-Sookhai this week, it had to be adjourned because lawyers for the Prisons Commissioner and the AG’s Office did not attend.
During the hearing, Chote informed the court that last Friday, Harford suffered another mental health episode and had to be taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope for treatment.
Harford’s case is expected to be amended to reflect the development before it comes up for hearing on September 24.
Harford may be released before then as the PDO would expire at the end of the SoE days before the next hearing, unless it (the SoE) is extended or renewed.
