A salesman was on Thursday committed to stand trial at the Demerara High Court for the December 27, 2020 murder of 29-year-old David Barclay, a father of two.
Murder accused Kevin Lewis has been committed to stand trial by judge and jury following the conclusion of a preliminary inquiry (PI) into the matter held at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
In her ruling after the PI, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan noted that a prima facie case has been established against Lewis. Accordingly, he has been committed to stand trial at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara Criminal Assizes. In the meantime, he remains on remand.
According to reports, Barclay, of Triumph, East Coast Demerara (ECD), contacted Lewis in a bid to have a tyre on his vehicle repaired after encountering mechanical problems at Durban Street, Georgetown. An argument subsequently ensued between the men over payment, during which Lewis whipped out a knife and slashed a tyre on the now dead man’s car.
It was previously reported that Lewis had turned up at the location and had fixed the problem with the tyre. However, Barclay was reportedly short of $700 to pay him for his services. This publication understands that the mechanic’s fee was $4000, but Barclay had only $3300.
The Police had said that Lewis claimed he then jumped into a vehicle, and in the process of driving off, Barclay jumped onto the right front door of the vehicle and held on to him. As a result, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into several parked cars.
Media reports stated that after Barclay was struck, he was dragged several feet before Lewis’s car came to a halt. Barclay, who was lying motionless on the roadway, was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he succumbed while receiving medical attention.
Following Barclay’s death, the Police conducted investigations and sent the file to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice. The initial advice was that Lewis be charged with manslaughter. However, earlier this year, the charge against him was upgraded to murder.
