CORONER Juliet Holder-Allen adjourned the inquest into the death of the so-called ‘Mandela Three’ yesterday, after the pathologist who performed autopsies on the deceased failed to deliver original reports on his findings.

“I will not allow the proceedings to go on without these very significant reports,” she ruled.

Mrs Holder-Allen told lawyers appearing at the inquiry that she had photocopies but was not willing to proceed without originals.

“The tendering of these documents has its own problems. I am to be guided only by the original reports,” she insisted.

“There is a possibility that the witness could say something contrary to what is stated in the originals,” the Coroner said.

Mr Robert Corbin is representing the family of Steve Grant while Mr Basil Williams continues to look at the interest of relatives of Antoine Houston called ‘Yankee’ and John Bruce and Mr Vic Puran appears for the Police.

Grant, Houston and Bruce were killed by Target Special Squad Police, on July 29, 2001, at the junction of Mandela Avenue and Access Road, Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, in Georgetown.

Puran, responding to the Coroner’s remarks, said he was appointed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) just to deal with the legal matters involved and is not aware that he also has responsibility for the Police witnesses.

“I was of the view that I could not have contact with any of the witnesses in the case, Your Worship,” Puran said.

He explained that there is someone else mandated to produce the Police witnesses in Court.

Puran admitted an error of judgment, on his part, saying he thought the doctor would have had the original documents with him.

Puran said he, himself, had not seen them, either, but assumed they were in the possession of the officer who put together the files.

Coroner Holder-Allen instructed Puran that his sole task now is to act only as adviser on legal matters and ordered Dr Neohal Singh to bring the required papers when the inquest continues on February 13.

Earlier, Singh, Head of the Department of Pathology at University of Guyana (UG) School of Medicine, testified that he is also the Government Pathologist with responsibility to perform autopsies for the Police.

He said he holds a Medical Degree from University of Santiago, which he gained in 1984, as well as a 1987 Specialist Degree in Pathology from University of Camaguey, also in Cuba.

Singh has a degree from Institute of Tropical Medicine in Havana (1984/85) and a 1976 Post Graduate Degree in Medical Technology from UG.

The Court was interrupted several times yesterday when protesting mini-bus drivers, involved in the current standoff with the authorities, honked their horns in the vicinity.

The Coroner was forced to pause on those occasions and wait until the din, from singing in the streets had stopped.