Court Awards TT$185,000 Plus Interest Over 2018 Detention

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Police searched a San Juan family property on 8 February 2018 while investigating an alleged plot to disrupt Carnival, according to Guardian Media’s account of a civil case. The report says officers found no illegal items and later returned to arrest a man who was held for seven days before being released without charge.

Sources: Guardian Media / CNC3, 30 Oct, 1:26 p.m. Trinidad time ↗

The man challenged his arrest, detention and treatment in a case against the State. Guardian Media reports that High Court Judge Robin Mohammed upheld the claim on Tuesday, with the outcome reported on Friday 30 October 2026. This is a reported civil ruling about police conduct, not a finding that the claimant took part in a Carnival plot.

According to the report, the judge found that the man had been restrained during the initial search and that police had not established reasonable or probable cause for the later arrest. The account says the State relied on purported intelligence that was not disclosed in the proceedings; the officer said to have received it did not testify. These findings are attributed to the newsroom’s account, rather than an independently inspected judgment.

Sources: Guardian Media / CNC3, 30 Oct, 1:26 p.m. Trinidad time ↗

Guardian Media reports TT$145,000 in damages and TT$40,000 in exemplary damages, with interest and legal costs also ordered. Those specified damages total TT$185,000. Its report does not provide the full interest-and-cost breakdown or evidence that payment has been made.

Sources: Guardian Media / CNC3, 30 Oct, 1:26 p.m. Trinidad time ↗

A separate Trinidad Express report published on 30 October gives the additional amounts as TT$18,194.52 in pre-judgment interest and TT$39,479.17 in prescribed costs. Added to the two damages awards, those components total TT$242,673.69. This explains the larger overall figure without changing the TT$185,000 damages component. The original judgment and evidence of payment have not been obtained directly.

Sources: Trinidad Express, Rickie Ramdass, 30 Oct ↗

The Express also sets out the State’s defence that police acted on local and foreign intelligence and needed to continue investigating. Its account says the judge found that sufficient records justifying the week-long detention had not been produced. The two newsrooms support the central reported ruling, but neither replaces direct inspection of the court order.

Sources: Trinidad Express, Rickie Ramdass, 30 Oct ↗

Luk It Hyah has not obtained the current judgment or order directly. The next check is that original record, any appeal and the final assessed total.

Sources: Guardian Media / CNC3, 30 Oct, 1:26 p.m. Trinidad time ↗