Attorney-at-law Mark Waldron on Thursday questioned Police Inspector Nolan Burnett as to why none of the nine males in the April 2015 identification (ID) parade had a scar under their eye as the one his client bears. The witness was under cross-examination at the High Court as the Richard Stanton murder trial continued.
Stanton is accused of gunning down 43-year-old Patricia Sanasie on January 15, 2015. She was riddled with bullets outside her Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara home moments after arriving there from attending a religious function.
Accused killer Richard Stanton
In his testimony before the 12-member jury, Inspector Burnett maintained that all of the persons in the line-up were of similar description to Stanton, and he confirmed that the deceased woman’s daughter, Romona Sanasie, had picked out the accused, who was standing at the numbered three spot.
Her mother was shot dead in her presence, and the young woman claimed she had seen the assailant’s face for 15 seconds although it was under sheer cloth.
During Thursday’s testimony, Burnett revealed that only a gazetted officer can oversee ID parades, expect in rare circumstances. He also confirmed that both he and the witness Sergeant Rodwell Sarabo had signed the form relatived to the ID parade. Burnett related to the court that he had informed Romona Sanasie the suspect may or may not be in the line-up, and the woman corroborated this fact via SKYPE from the United States on Tuesday.
Burnett recalled that after Stanton had been picked out as the assailant, he dismissed the line-up, and the accused had said he wasn’t a ‘murder man’ and that he was not there when the woman was killed.
Under scrutiny by the defendant’s legal counsel, the Police witness observed that while he was “made aware” that the accused had a scar under his eye; he did not ensure that other persons in the parade had such a feature.
Burnett later admitted that when Romona Sanasie was at the ID parade, she had initially pointed out ‘number seven’ as being similar to the assailant which she said she had seen that night.
The case continues before Justice Brassington Reynolds. Tiffini Lyken, Narisa Leander and Seeta Bishundial are presenting the case on behalf of the State.
