No court appearance for Alleyne; more medical tests at hospital

Ian Alleyne in hospital (Express photo)

Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne did not appear in court Monday as expected because he is still in hospital awaiting further tests for chest pains he has been experiencing he was arrested Thursday.

Alleyne was transferred from the Port of Spain general hospital to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex at Mount Hope on Friday.

It was expected that upon his release Monday police would formally charge him with three counts of violating the Sexual Offences Act and one count of resisting arrest. Once that was done he was to appear before a Port of Spain magistrate.

However, his attorney Om Lalla, told local media he is not sure when Alleyne would leave hospital.

This could mean that Allyene may not be charged since Monday is the deadline for the expiry of the six-month statutory limit to lay the charges.

Allyene is facing the charges in connection with the showing of video tape on his Crime Watch show of a teenager being raped. The warrants were not executed earlier because he has been in hospital undergoing tests since his arrest.

Alleyne's lawyers have said police used unnecessary force in the arrest of their client. However police responded by saying that although Alleyne and his lawyers have said they were giving the police their fullest cooperation that had not been the case.

On Saturday Alleyne's lawyers wrote Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs demanding the release of their client and threatening legal action if Gibbs failed to accede to their demands.

They also sent a letter to the chairman of the Police Complaints Authority asking for an investigation into claims that Alleyne was physically abused, wrongfully arrested and detained by police.

Sharon Lee Assang, director of the police Public Affairs Unit, told the Express newspaper the letters from Alleyne's legal team won't be delivered until Monday.

CCN TV6 is also facing three charges under the Sexual Offences Act for showing the video tape of the attack on the teenager on Alleyne's Crime Watch show.

Crime Watch supporters outside the Mount Hope Hospital (Express photo)