Kaia Sealy’s sufficiency hearing over eight charges leveled against her in relation to a police-involved shooting in January which claimed the life of her partner has been postponed to next year.
The hearing, in which the evidence against an accused is analysed to determine if they should face trial, was set to commence before High Court Master Nazeera Ali, this morning.
However, when the case was called, Sealy’s lead attorney Larry Williams requested an adjournment.
Williams apologised as he admitted that Sealy’s defence team had failed to meet deadlines for making their filings in the case and was not prepared to go ahead with the hearing.
While State prosecutor Anju Bhola stated that she and her team were ready to proceed with the case having filed their evidence including 44 witness statements, she did not object to the adjournment.
Master Ali informed Williams that the application for extensions and an adjournment should have been filed well in advance of the scheduled hearing.
“The rules are if there were any issues leading to delay, the court and the other parties ought to have been informed,” Master Ali said.
She still granted extensions to complete the filings and adjourned the hearing to March 23, next year.
During the hearing, Williams applied for Sealy’s bail conditions to be varied for her to reside at her sister’s home instead of her mother’s home.
Williams said that Sealy’s mother lives in a three-storey building and Sealy has difficulties accessing it based on her continuing mobility issues following the shooting.
Bhola did not object to the change of address but noted that the location would have to be inspected by the police before it is officially confirmed.
The charges arose from a controversial police-involved shooting at the corner of College Road and Bassie Street Extension, St Augustine, on January 20.
The shooting sparked protest action after CCTV footage, which appeared to show the officers shooting the car after Sealy’s partner Joshua Samaroo attempted to surrender, was shared on social media.
At the time, the T&T Police Service (TTPS) claimed that the footage only provided a brief and incomplete snapshot of the incident between the officers and the couple that resulted in the shooting.
Sealy was charged with unlawfully killing Samaroo (manslaughter); shooting at police officers Quincy Simon, Darryl Bartholomew, and Gary Duncan with intent to cause them grievous bodily harm; possession of a Glock pistol and two rounds of ammunition; possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life; and discharging a firearm within 40 metres of a public road.
Sealy, a 25-year-old mother of a five-year-old child, was seriously injured in the shooting and left a paraplegic.
She went to the United States for treatment before returning in June to face the charges.
Sealy was granted $700,000 bail and was permitted to to return to the US periodically to continue treatment and rehabilitation.
Sealy’s lawyers are expected to pursue a no case submission over there being insufficient evidence to sustain the charges when the sufficiency hearing takes place next year.
Sealy is also being represented by Fayola Sandy, and Stacy Benjamin-Roach. Bisram Ramdath, and Daveanan Ramaran appeared alongside Bhola for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The case is set to come up for status hearing on January 20, 2027.
