An acting police superintendent and female Special Reserve Police (SRP) officer appeared in court yesterday charged with misconduct and perverting the course of justice.
Acting Supt Wayne Thongs and SRP Dara Spencer appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Nanette Forde-John in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court on charges arising out of an investigation into Spencer’s salary claims to the T&T Police Service.
Spencer is accused of misconduct in public office through dishonestly obtaining $481 from the TTPS by falsely pretending to have performed duties using falsified duty sheets.
Spencer, 40, who was last assigned to the Rapid Response Unit (RRU), is alleged to have submitted the false claim in February last year while she was on duty at the Mon Repos Police Station.
Unlike full-fledged police officers, SRPs are required to complete 40 four-hour tours of service a month before they receive their salary.
Thongs, 55, last assigned to the Western Division, was charged with perverting the course of public justice by instructing a police officer to give Spencer a document which was part of the investigation into her affairs.
Both officers were not called upon to plead to the charges which were laid indictably. On Friday, Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard gave police instructions to charge the two after reviewing the investigator’s file.
Thongs and Spencer were detained separately by Fraud Squad detectives last Thursday and were released on $80,000 and $60,000 station bail respectively after being charged on Saturday.
As they were already on bail when they made their first court appearance yesterday, Forde-John merely certified the station bail they received from a Justice of the Peace over the weekend.
Thongs was represented by Ian Brooks and Dr Kenneth O’Brien, while Cedric Neptune appeared for Spencer.
They are expected to reappear in court on February, next year.