After serving almost 35 years in prison for the murder of a Curepe taxi driver during a robbery in 1989, two former death row inmates have been released. Here's more in this report compiled by Rickie Ramdass.
00:00During a re-sentencing exercise today, Justice George Busby directed that convicted murderers Andrew Paul Douglas and Dexter Lendor be immediately released after finding that they had already served their time for the crime.
00:15Douglas' goal is to now continue working with the Prison Service and the Ministry of National Security to assist with the reformation of other prison inmates.
00:25He, Lendor and Keith Ling were all found guilty in 1993 by a 12-man jury of murdering Lal Sukdeu on September 10, 1989 and sentenced to death.
00:39Douglas' death sentence, however, was later commuted to a term of imprisonment of 75 years, with his earliest release date being April 22, 2048 and his latest being April 22, 2073.
00:55However, given the 2022 Privy Council ruling in the case of Naresh Boodram and the Office of the Attorney General, the High Court has required to carry out a sentencing exercise on behalf of former death row inmates, including Douglas, Lendor and Ling.
01:13While Justice Busby found that the two had already served their sentences, Ling will have his re-sentencing hearing at a later date.
01:21Sukdeu was shot in the head by Douglas when he resisted the robbery.
01:26Douglas, Lendor and Ling made off with only $75, according to the state.
01:32Speaking to reporters at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain today following his release, Douglas, 60, did not deny that he carried out the killing.
01:41As a matter of fact, he issued an apology to Sukdeu's family and also to the other victims of the crime on behalf of the other inmates, who did not have the opportunity to do so.
01:54He noted that his only son was also murdered while he was in prison.
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