T&T police confident they have cracked Shannon Banfield case
(Trinidad Guardian) Deputy Police Commissioner Wayne Dick said yesterday that the police service was convinced it had charged the correct man in the murder of Shannon Banfield.
He made the comment during a press conference on Tuesday, as he said contrary to rumours investigators were also satisfied Dale Seecharan, the man charged for the crime, acted alone.
“I am satisfied at this point in time that he acted alone,” Dick said when asked if the police were searching for any other suspects in Banfield’s death, amid rumours that a businessman close to the company she was found dead in may also be responsible.
Dick also dispelled other rumours that Banfield’s organs were harvested during a ritual, a claim made via a Facebook post purportedly by someone close to the Banfield family.
Asked about it yesterday, Dick said: “There is absolutely no truth (to that claim).”
Dick also rubbished suggestions the police were tampering of evidence, namely the CCTV footage, saying none of the evidence had been contaminated in anyway. He said the investigation was under his “astute leadership” and included officers of the Special Branch, Criminal Gang and Intelligence Unit, Port-of- Spain Task Force and the Criminal Records Department. He said he was satisfied with the level of professionalism and team work the officers displayed. He could not say which policing unit first went to IAM and Company and was denied access to the CCTV footage, as stated in a police media release during the early stages of the investigations.
In a release, the police service had claimed they made three requests for the CCTV footage from IAM and Company, where her decomposing body was found on December 8, three days after she went into the store. The release claimed the management was not “readily forthcoming” with the footage.
But yesterday, Dick thanked IAM management for their cooperation in the case, saying it is possible a miscommunication between the police may have led to the inaccurate police claims.