Linden boat captain Oscar Giles was yesterday committed to stand trial for three counts of manslaughter for causing the death of three persons two years ago.
The drowning occurred on November 5th, 2010 at an annual fun-day of the Watooka Club at Linden, when three persons, including two children, went missing after a boat capsized in the Demerara River near the club’s boat landing.
Kishana Hollingsworth, 20, of 387 One Mile Wismar, Linden and Lovely Lass Village; Melinda Duggan, a 12-year-old of Block 22 Wismar, Linden; and Quacy Miggins, seven-years-old, of Old Kara Kara, Mackenzie, Linden died as a result.
The committal order was read to Giles, of Amelia’s Ward, yesterday by Magis-trate Ann McLennan, at the Christianburg Magistrate’s Court. According McLennan, sufficient evidence was put forward for Giles to stand trial in the high court.
At the time of the incident, eyewitness Marlon Sullivan had said that the boat, property of the Linden Community Policing Group, was approaching the landing when the captain made a rash turn, resulting in the vessel capsizing. There were approximately 14 passengers on board at the time.
“Soon as we see the boat, me and a man jump on the jet ski and we go fuh help save the people them…. De boat de done turn over, so we just try fuh pull out who went on the boat and we collect almost a good set ah people with Oscar (the Captain) and we put them in a corner and went out back to get the others,” Sullivan had said.
The man had also said that Miggins, a student of Regma Primary, was with his mother Pear St. John and he attempted to save the child but was unable to release him from his mother’s grip. “She holding on pun he, thinking is somebody else, so she son end up going under she by she belly and when I dive and go for him, I did not see him. So, I had to end up holding she and pulling she in,” he had related.
Hollingsworth’s sister, Melinda, had said that they had left their One Mile home for a hospital visit and decided to take a walk to the Watooka Club’s fun day.
Once there, Hollingsworth and her cousin, Duggan, a first form student of the Mackenzie High School, opted to go for a ride on the boat.
Chief Executive Officer of Linmine Secretariat Horace James had reported that he had learnt that when Oscar (the captain) went to check on the boat, a group of patrons begged him to take them for a ride and he obliged them. “But we were officially finished with the service of that boat and it was docked,” James had explained.
