Two accused murderers told a magistrate Wednesday they are afraid that they would be killed by inmates at the Remand Yard at the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca, Trinidad if they are sent there.Layne Williams and Anton Marvin Gay are accused of killing Carapichaima accountant Neeshad Ali. They are also accused of kidnapping the victim's wife, Lila, and three-year-old daughter, and of robbing Lila of $100,000 in jewelry and an entertainment centre valued at $7,000.
Both men appeared before Senior Magistrate Gillian David-Scotland in Chaguanas and requested legal aid, stating they they do not have lawyers.
The magistrate adjourned the case to September 3 and advised the accused that she will deal with their request at that time.
Williams pleaded with the magistrate to send him and Gay to the nearby Maximum Security Prison (MSP) instead. "Ma'am...if we go up in Golden Grove they will try to kill we up dey."
David-Scotland said she did not have any jurisdiction over where remand inmates are housed. She added that the court had no information regarding possible death threats.
Prisons Commissioner John Rougier told the Trinidad Expresss he will investigate the allegations. "As far as where securing inmates are concerned, that is our responsibility to secure them and we will do just that," he said.
Ali's brutal murder - he was hacked to death in his own home - has led to a call for a return of the death penalty.
Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner, who visited the scene of the murder, pledged to do everything possible to get the government to resume hangings, which were suspended in 1999.
Both men appeared before Senior Magistrate Gillian David-Scotland in Chaguanas and requested legal aid, stating they they do not have lawyers.
The magistrate adjourned the case to September 3 and advised the accused that she will deal with their request at that time.
Williams pleaded with the magistrate to send him and Gay to the nearby Maximum Security Prison (MSP) instead. "Ma'am...if we go up in Golden Grove they will try to kill we up dey."
David-Scotland said she did not have any jurisdiction over where remand inmates are housed. She added that the court had no information regarding possible death threats.
Prisons Commissioner John Rougier told the Trinidad Expresss he will investigate the allegations. "As far as where securing inmates are concerned, that is our responsibility to secure them and we will do just that," he said.
Ali's brutal murder - he was hacked to death in his own home - has led to a call for a return of the death penalty.
Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner, who visited the scene of the murder, pledged to do everything possible to get the government to resume hangings, which were suspended in 1999.
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