A Malabar man charged with the murder of an Arouca businessman in 2021 has been acquitted by the High Court. Andrew Sutton was found not guilty by Justice Nalini Singh after a judge-only trial at the Hall of Justice, Port of Spain. Sutton was before the court charged with the murder of businessman Nicholas Mohith on March 11, 2021. Mohith, 31, of Eastern Main Road, Arouca, was at his business place with a male relative around 4 pm on March 11, 2021, when a gunman entered and shot him before running off. Another man was also charged for the murder. Renaldo Thomas, of Carapo, who was arrested on March 29, 2021, was discharged by the High Court on June 6, because the prosecution failed to present evidence. Thomas’s case, which was initially heard at the Arima Magistrates’ Court before being transferred to the High Court under the Administration of Justice (Preliminary Inquiries) Act (AJIPA), had been stalled repeatedly due to the State’s non-compliance with disclosure requirements. At least three scheduled sufficiency hearings, in August 2024, October 2024, and March, were adjourned because the prosecution failed to disclose evidence. In each instance, the State filed applications for extensions on the morning of the hearing and a final extension was granted in April. However, on the morning of the sufficiency hearing on June 6, Master Sarah De Silva made it clear that no further adjournments would be granted. When the court insisted that the sufficiency hearing proceed, the prosecution indicated it had no evidence to offer in Thomas’s case. De Silva questioned why a notice of discontinuance had not been filed and made it clear that the court will not discharge Thomas in a manner that would allow the State to re-arrest and re-lay charges. Thomas was then formally arraigned, and with the prosecution offering no evidence, the court ruled under Section 24 of AJIPA, which allows for discharge when evidence fails to meet the prima facie threshold, that he be discharged. Sutton was represented by Delicia Helwig-Robertson and Sara Julien of the Public Defender’s Department. Shervon Noriega and Cassie Bisram prosecuted. The post Second man freed of Arouca businessman’s 2021 murder appeared first.