PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago authorities has discontinued an enchantment in opposition to a Excessive Courtroom ruling relating to the detention and return of firearm vendor, Brent Thomas, from Barbados in 2022.
Legal professional Common John Jeremie, SC, stated the State is discounting the enchantment of a 2023 Excessive Courtroom ruling that discovered the detention and the return of Thomas from Barbados as “illegal”.
In a September 16, 2025, letter to Thomas’s attorneys, Jeremie apologised for the ordeal, indicating a willingness to barter damages.
Brent Thomas
“The State intends to enter into good religion negotiations with Mr Thomas and Specialist Shooters Coaching Centre Restricted relating to constitutional damages and prices each within the Excessive Courtroom and Courtroom of Attraction, in recognition of the violations discovered by the Excessive Courtroom.
“On behalf of the State, I apologise for the ordeal that Mr Thomas has endured and any reputational injury attributable to these proceedings, which the Excessive Courtroom has now definitively discovered to represent an abuse of course of,” Jeremie wrote.
The letter referenced the Excessive Courtroom judgment of Justice Devindra Rampersad, delivered on April 25, 2023, which declared that each one search warrants executed in opposition to Thomas and his firm, Specialist Shooters Coaching Centre, have been unconstitutional.
The decide additionally discovered Thomas’s arrest, detention, and forcible removing from Barbados constituted a gross abuse of energy, completely stayed all felony proceedings in opposition to him, and awarded constitutional damages.
“Upon cautious consideration of the circumstances surrounding these proceedings and the findings of the Excessive Courtroom, I’ve determined to discontinue the State’s enchantment respectfully,” Jeremie wrote, including that he has instructed the Solicitor Common to inform the Courtroom of Attraction of his resolution.
Following Justice Rampersad’s ruling, the State filed two appeals within the title of the Legal professional Common and a separate enchantment by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The case was argued earlier than Justices of Attraction Prakash Moosai, Charmaine Pemberton, and Mira Dean-Armorer on July 24, 2024, with the court docket reserving its ruling.
Throughout the July listening to, King Counsel, Peter Knox, the lead legal professional for the State, conceded Thomas’s arrest in Barbados was illegal, admitting the method ought to have adopted extradition procedures.
Nonetheless, he argued the Excessive Courtroom went too far by staying felony fees, which included possession of prohibited weapons.
Thomas’s authorized group, led by Senior Counsel Fyard Hosein, maintained that the police acted in unhealthy religion and that the businessman had legitimate permits for the imported firearms and grenades, lots of which have been bought by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Defence Power.
Justice Rampersad was anticipated to find out the quantum of damages, which was anticipated to be substantial. In the meantime, Thomas has additionally pursued authorized motion in Barbados, looking for particulars on who authorised his detention and return.
Thomas was en route to go to his heart specialist within the US, stopping over in Barbados, when he was detained at his resort on October 5, 2022, handcuffed, and handed over to 3 officers assigned to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s Skilled Requirements Bureau on the tarmac of Grantley Adams Worldwide Airport.
In a ministerial assertion to the Home of Meeting in Barbados on Could 9, 2023, Barbados Legal professional Common, Dale Marshall, stated that no request had been made for Thomas’s extradition, although Barbados has an Extradition Act which applies to a lot of felony offences, together with firearm and different offences for which the warrants of arrest for Thomas have been issued.
“I’m glad that the actions of the Barbados Police Service have fallen considerably wanting relevant authorized norms, comparable to appearing below an extradition request. I, nonetheless, can not affiliate myself with the outline of the actions of the Barbados Law enforcement officials as an abduction or as has elsewhere been described as a kidnapping.
“To the extent that there could also be any authorized legal responsibility hooked up to the actions of the Barbados Police Service officers, I can guarantee you that the Authorities of Barbados will abide by the regulation and totally respect any choices of the regulation courts,” Marshall stated.
The legal professional for the Legal professional Common, Roger Forde SC, wrote to Thomas advising that the Barbadian authorities had accepted legal responsibility based mostly on the senior counsel’s recommendation.
“I’ve suggested my shopper that the State of Barbados ought to settle for legal responsibility in respect of the declare for breach of Part 18 of the Structure of Barbados,” the correspondence said.
Part 18 of the Invoice of Rights within the Structure of Barbados ensures the correct to a good listening to and safety of the regulation.
