WHO TO BELIEVE?

Those were the words we heard after looking at the first few minutes of the 7pm news on TV6, after having watched IETV's 6.30pm newscast.

IETV's Maxine Maharaj first told us that the teenaged American citizen who had gone missing from her relatives' Woodlands home on Saturday night and initially reported as kidnapped had returned to the home around 11pm on Sunday. IE told us the relatives said the young woman had been staying with friends. They even had a brief interview with the MP for the area, Mikela Panday who said the girl did not want to speak of her time away from her family, perhaps needing time to herself.

But TV6's version of the story read by Samantha John was that the young woman left home on Saturday evening and after she was reported kidnapped, was 'released' around 7pm on Sunday in San Fernando and picked up by police who took her to her relatives.

And here's the version in Tuesday's Guardian under the heading 'Missing teenager freed in Sando', written by AGS.
"Police said the young girl was released on High Street, San Fernando, around 7.30 pm on Sunday, and telephoned a relative from a pay phone.
The relative contacted police who picked up Subadar, and she gave a statement on her whereabouts."

And here's what the Tuesday Express tells us: "A missing girl who triggered a big search involving the Anti Kidnapping Unit returned home after being dropped off by the people she was last seen with, police said yesterday.
Sixteen-year-old Felesha Subadar was expected to be questioned about her 24 hours away from home, before police decide if anyone can be charged with a crime in the case."

Then Miss Maharaj told us that the security guard who was shot outside his home (Mr Tavernier) was ambushed by one gunman and when his wife (Ms Henry) heard the gunshot she ran outside, but when she saw the gunman she ran back inside and was pursued, cornered and shot several times. The gunman then escaped in a waiting car.

TV6's version was that the couple "were" liming outside their apartment at 5.30am when they were ambushed by a group of men who immediately shot Mr Tavernier and someone pursued his wife into the house and shot her.

Here's the version by Darryl Heeralal of the Express. "Tavernier and his wife, Sharon Henry, 43, were shot multiple times around 5.30 a.m., while they were about to leave home for work....Tavernier had just opened the front gate to the apartment's gallery when he was ambushed and shot.
Henry, who was behind Tavernier, ran back inside, followed by one of the gunmen, and was shot.
Police said the killers took Henry's gun but left Tavernier's."

And here's the version by the Guardian's Camille Clarke: "A police report revealed that the couple were at home when two gunmen stormed the premises around 4.30 am. Tavernier, the report stated, responded to a call from someone he knew."

Miss Clarke tells us "They both died on the spot.", while Mr Heeralal tells us "Both victims died on the way to the Port of Spain General Hospital."
Both newspaper reports tell us there was at least one eyewitness in the house, but this was not mentioned in the television reports.

One other thing. According to TV6, the murder figure for the year is 348, while their sister paper the Express tells us it's 354.

So who to believe?