PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):
A TRINIDAD and Tobago police officer with 13 years experience has been sentenced to hang after he was found guilty of the murder of 18-year-old Kevin Cato at a fête more than two years ago.
Constable Dave Burnett, 32, was found guilty of the murder of Cato, whom he shot on January 25, 2004. Another person, Ryan Solomon, was also shot and injured.
GUILTY VERDICT
The jury took nearly three-hours in reaching the guilty verdict against the policeman, who stood motionless as the sentence was read out by Justice Ian Stuart Brook late on Tuesday.
But the mother of the deceased, Marilyn Cato, told reporters that while she welcomed the verdict she was not in agreement of the policemen being hanged.
"I have already lost a child and now another life is lost again. It is somebody's son. I would not like him to be sentenced to death. The Lord has handled it the way he should and our prayers have been answered," she said.
"But I don't have the law in my hand," she added.
The court was told that Cato, and Solomon had gone to the party to celebrate the birthday of one of their friends when they were dancing and Solomon bumped into Burnett, who was on duty in plain clothes.
BRAGGING
Burnett is reported to have slapped Solomon and when he retaliated, the officer pulled out his service revolver and shot both men in their chests. Witnesses said that after the shooting, Burnett bragged he was a police officer and challenged them "to do something".
The jury rejected Burnett's claim that he had been attacked, and that he shot the men when he saw them with knives.
In 2004, another police officer Mihiset Greene was sentenced to 10 years in jail on manslaughter charges arising out of the death of a man who tried to run away.
