A High Court master has discharged a man from East Trinidad from multiple firearm-related charges after the prosecution failed to file an indictment or supporting documents despite receiving multiple extensions.

At a sufficiency hearing on June 18, Master Whitney Franklin ruled that Atiba Bascombe could no longer be held in the absence of an indictment given that the state had several opportunities to proceed but failed to meet its obligations. This led to her decision to discharge the accused.

Bascombe was charged in connection with a 2021 incident in which he was alleged to have participated in a violent attack involving firearms and cutlasses.