Ex-cop challenges 18 years’ jail for offences against teen | News Extra

THE Appeal Courtroom has requested the submitting of more submissions by attorneys in an charm introduced by a previous law enforcement constable who was sentenced to 18 decades in jail, right after getting discovered guilty in 2019 of a amount of violent offences versus a 17-year-old female with whom he was in a connection.

The three-decide panel comprising Justices Mark Mohammed, Ronnie Boodoosingh and Maria Wilson, gave the directive yesterday in the attractiveness brought by 43-calendar year-aged Visham Ragoo.

Ragoo was uncovered guilty of grievous sexual assault on the woman, popular assault, rape, assault occasioning true bodily hurt and false imprisonment.

All of the offences had been alleged to have taken place in 2008.

In October 2019, he was sentenced by Justice Carla Brown-Antoine to a blended overall of 43 yrs but offered that the sentences were being to operate concurrently, Ragoo is demanded to serve only the optimum sentence of 18 years’ imprisonment.

One particular of the key grounds of his enchantment was that Ragoo’s attorney at the demo, Selwyn Ramlal, did not stick to his guidance and also did not appropriately suggest him on regardless of whether he must have testified at the demo.

When Ragoo’s present legal professional, Pamela Elder, SC, contended it was her client’s wish to give evidence in his very own defence at the trial, he was prevented from performing so by Ramlal.

It is in relation to the alleged incompetence of Ramlal at the trial that the judges mentioned they needed even more guidance.

Ragoo admitted that when he was to start with arrested by police in relation to the allegations created by the lady, he agreed to supply a warning statement in which he admitted he had a sexual connection with the teen, but denied that it commenced when she was less than 16.

At the time of the alleged offences, the female was two months expecting.

Ragoo had also created his own caution assertion that gave information of his romantic relationship with the female an clarification of what experienced taken place as effectively as an alibi and denial of sexual misconduct.

In the statement, Ragoo denied any wrongdoing and claimed the teenager had attacked him and he acted in self-defence. He also alleged the teenager and her mom, with whom he also had a sexual relationship, experienced threatened him ­before building the report to law enforcement.

Point out prosecutor Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal rubbished claims that Ragoo experienced the intention of testifying at the trial.

Rather, she recommended he chose not to do so out of panic that members of the jury would have recognised his voice as the a person that was listened to in a recording captured throughout a single of the alleged incidents and admitted into evidence at the demo.

Ramlal was also questioned during the appeal, but denied he failed to correctly abide by Ragoo’s guidelines.

Questioned by Elder in excess of why he prompt at the demo that the audio recording was a fabrication when Ragoo admitted it contained his voice, Ramlal reported he was certain to acknowledge the penned guidance that were being to begin with presented to him by his ­client.

“He (Ragoo) was a single of the most challenging clientele I ever experienced to deal with. We spoke all the time, over the cell phone, in person and in the courtroom,” Ramlal stated.

Elder also claimed the caution assertion was wrongly categorised by Ramlal as exculpatory, when it was a combined statement of denials and ­admissions.

Ramlal disagreed, as he managed his posture primarily based on his professional view.

Nearing the conclude of yesterday’s hearing, Elder asked for that the court docket consider bail for her customer.

On the other hand, the judges pointed out the enchantment was not however finish, and that the lawyer really should make these kinds of an application in creating.

The attorneys have been given right up until June 24 to furnish the court docket with their extra prepared submissions.

The attraction is anticipated to again appear up for listening to at the close of July.