[www.inewsguyana.com] – A 24-year-old miner was on Friday (December 27) placed on $500,000 bail when appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, charged with dangerous driving which resulted the death of the Chief Librarian on Christmas Eve day (December 25).
Odida Underwood of Guyhoc Park, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that on Tuesday, December 24 at North Road and Shiv Chandrapaul Drive, he drove motor car PPP 8655 in a dangerous manner causing the death of Gillian Thompson.
He was also slapped with three other charges which he pleaded guilty to.
The second charge detailed that on the same day, he drove without being the holder of driver’s license; the other allegation stated that he also drove the vehicle when it was not issued for third party risk, while the fourth charge stated that, the defendant took the vehicle and drove it without the consent of the owner.
Attorney-at-Law Adrian Thompson, who represented Underwood, told the court that his client had an emergency and was headed to his daughter after he received a call from her mother. The Defendant admitted that he was not licensed to drive a motor vehicle and begged for leniency.
The Defence Counsel also argued that the car which his client drove did not come into contact with the deceased. Hence, Underwood’s not guilty plead to the causing death by dangerous driving charge.
Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru told the Court that on the day in question around 14:15hrs the defendant was the driver of the motor vehicle on the western side of Shiv Chandrapaul Drive. He added the defendant failed to stop at the intersection and as a result slammed into the bus of which the now deceased Thompson was an occupant.
Mangru said as a result the van collided with the concrete culvert and Thompson who was seated in the left front seat of the vehicle was killed.
Underwood’s Attroney however, argued that the Prosecutor’s facts differ from what transpired, since he was informed that his client did not hit the bus but rather it was the bus that slammed into Underwood’s car.
Underwood will return to Court on January 31.
