Cautionary tale from Trinidad

[Nancy Frishberg]

This article is from today's Trinidad Express and can be accessed
directly with this (ugly) URL - take care that you get the whole
thing from http:... to =news.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news.asp?mylink=2003-07-09\news\Mute%20pleads%20guilty%20to%20murder%20by%20mistake.htm&mydate=2003-07-09&mypage=news

I'm ignoring the old-fashioned use of the term "mute", and focusing
instead on the multicultural situation portrayed just from the family
names here!

Does anyone know the sign language situation in Trinidad & Tobago?  I
find it hard to believe that they use ASL.  I've also posted a
similar inquiry at CIT-L.


>Mute pleads guilty to murder by mistake
>
>
>
>CONFUSION between two different types of sign language yesterday led
>to a mute man pleading guilty to murder.
>
>Were it not for the quick intervention of defence attorney Ulric
>Skerritt, who brought the misunderstanding to Justice Melville
>Bairds attention, Bharath Mansingh could have been sentenced to
>death.
>
>The judge revoked the plea and remanded Mansingh to reappear today
>to allow the State an opportunity to get a sign language interpreter
>who could properly communicate with Mansingh.
>
>Mansingh, 26, was before Justice Melville Baird in the Port of Spain
>First Criminal Court, charged with murdering his brother, Mukesh
>Mansingh, on November 27, 1999, at St Johns Road, St Augustine.
>
>Sign language interpreter Anne Chee Ying was brought to court to
>translate the proceedings for Mansinghs benefit and when Mansingh
>was arraigned, Chee Ying informed the court that he had pleaded
>guilty.
>
>Skerritt then informed the judge that Mansingh might have had
>difficulty understanding Chee Ying.
>
>He said another interpreter, who had been retained by the defence
>and who was present in court, had told him (Skerritt) that Chee Ying
>had been communicating in a type of language called Signed English,
>while Mansingh only understood American Sign Language (ASL).
>
>Chee Ying agreed that if Mansingh only understood ASL, he would not
>have been able to understand Signed English.
>
>Justice Baird then revoked the guilty plea and ordered that another
>interpreter be retained.
>
>Mansingh is also being represented by Israel Khan SC and Nadia Ashraph.
>
>State attorney Althea Alexis is prosecuting
>

--
Nancy Frishberg  +1 650.556.1948  nancyf at fishbird.com
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