Shazad Sattaur of Glasgow Housing Scheme, East Bank Berbice (EBB) was today slapped with a series of charges in relation to the fatal accident which led to the death of 50-year-old Somdatt Indal.
Sattaur, who is the Chief Executive Officer of N&S Engineering and Contracting Services, appeared at the Reliance Magistrate’s Court where he pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
He was charged with the offence of causing death by dangerous driving, contrary to section 35 (1) of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 51:02.
He was also charged for failing to render assistance to an injured person, contrary to Section 62 (C) of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 51:02 and failing to stop after accident, contrary to Section 62 (1) of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 51:02.
Sattaur was further charged with failing to report accident, contrary to Section 62 (2) of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 51:02.
The man was refused bail and remanded to prison until February 17.
The accused’s attorney, Mursline Bacchus argued that the police were hiding the facts, as he pushed for his client to be released on bail.
Bacchus told the court that on the morning of the incident, Sattaur – a father of three, was taking two of his children to his sister’s house because he was going to Georgetown the following morning. He told the court that the street was blocked with a group of about 50 persons who were attending a wedding.
Bacchus said Sattaur stopped and blew his horn, seeking to be allowed to pass.
At this point in Bacchus’ story, several persons who in court supporting and representing the injured and deceased, walked out.
Bacchus continued and told the court that had someone pelted a bottle and broke the back windscreen of the pickup and two persons tried to open the doors of the vehicle.
Bacchus referred to the actions of the accused as a defense of circumstance, noting that the accused had turned himself over to the police after a telephone conversation with the Police Commander.
As such, he asked the court to grant the accused bail, stating that his client was willing to lodge his passport but this was refused by the magistrate.
Sattaur was the driver of motor pickup GZZ 8988 which crashed into a crowd of persons outside of a wedding house at Canefield Village, East Canje.
The accident occurred during the wee hours of January 29.
Initially, the driver of the motor pick-up had fled the scene but later turned himself, accompanied by his lawyer.
Reports are the pick-up vehicle was stationary facing east on Workshop Street when the driver suddenly drove off at a fast rate of speed during which he collided with several persons standing on the northern side of the street.
As a result of the collision, Daniel Sackichand, 21, of Adelphi Village, East Canje Berbice; 11-year-old Dion Kistnen, a student of Canje Secondary School and of Lot 23 Goed Bananen Land, East Canje; and Leon Revon, 34, of Lot 1143 East Canefield were all injured along with Indal.
They were picked up by public-spirited citizens and taken to New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where Indal was pronounced dead on arrival by a doctor on duty.
