A 16-year-old Chaguanas boy, one of three people charged with the murder of police constable Jason Thomas, yesterday lied to a Tunapuna magistrate about his age.

The boy, of Edinburgh 500, Chaguanas, who cannot be identified because of his age, along with Meshek Job, 26, and Tafari George, 26, both of Maloney Gardens, stood before Tunapuna First Court Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John. They were charged with the unlawful killing of Thomas.

According to the charge, on August 23 at the corner of the Uriah Butler and Churchill Roosevelt Highways in Valsayn, the accused murdered Thomas contrary to common law. Job was also slapped with additional charges of being in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The accused were represented by attorney Richard Clark-Wills, who told the court he wanted a speedy hearing.

The boy, through Clarks-Wills, told Forde-John he was 18 years old, but the prosecution insisted he was 16. The magistrate asked the accused his date of birth, which he said was March 1, 1994. He was then remanded in custody at the Youth Training Centre (YTC) and the matter was adjourned to September 8.

A Court and Process officer told the Express yesterday that they have observed a trend in which juvenile offenders would lie about their age so they could be sent to the Remand Yard prison instead of YTC.

The victim's mother, Grace, was also present in court with another relative when the matter was called.

"I feel good to know that the police were able to charge somebody. I will follow this matter right through the end," Grace said as she left the court.

"Look at paparazzi," Job had earlier shouted at photographers while being led into a police vehicle at the Arouca Police Station, before he and the other accused were taken to the Tunapuna court.

Media personnel camped outside the western fence of the station in order to capture photographs of the accused, since it is difficult to capture the images at the Tunapuna courthouse.

Thomas, 37, of Jack Fruit Drive, Cashew Gardens, Longdenville, Chaguanas, was shot dead by when he stopped near Grand Bazaar on a red light, and resisted a group of men who tried to rob him of his taxi. Thomas, who picked up the men on the Curepe taxi stand in Chaguanas, was assigned to the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation Municipal Police. The charges were laid by Acting Sgt Jermaline Mitchell of the Region II Homicide Bureau of Investigations.