Based on police investigations, the right person was charged for the February 3 accident along the Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara public road that claimed two lives, Police Commissioner (ag) Leroy Brumell said yesterday.
Brumell had announced that an investigation would be launched into whether there was a switch following the circulation of a photograph which showed a different person sitting in the driver’s seat just after the accident.
“I spoke with the Traffic Chief up to this morning and he said that the right person was charged,” Brumell told Stabroek News during a brief telephone interview. When asked about the photograph, he said that he had not looked at it and had tasked the Traffic Chief Hugh Denhert with investigating the reports in the media.
“I am satisfied with that (the police investigation),” he said, while noting that he left the police to do their investigations.
Brumell had previously said that based on his information, the 17-year-old that was charged was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident and the teen told ranks that “he took away” his parent’s vehicle. “They said they did not tell him to use it and that is the person we are dealing with. I don’t know about a second person, I will have to look at that,” he had said.
The claim that the wrong person had been charged was based on both the photograph and the accounts of persons who were on the scene.
The photograph, which surfaced in the media and on the social network Facebook, shows a dazed young man with a wound to his head clutching the deflating airbag.
Another individual, who resembles Gidram Rasiawan, the 17-year-old who was later charged, can be seen in the photograph standing outside the vehicle about to open the driver’s side door.
The photograph began circulating hours after Rasiawan was arraigned. By that time he had already posted bail and had been released from custody.
When Rasiawan appeared in the court, he did not have a wound to his head.
This newspaper had been told that the two young men are relatives. The one who was seen sitting behind the wheel in the photograph is 16-years-old and he has been absent from school since the accident.
It is feared that if a switch has taken place, the case against the accused would eventually be thrown out. One source said that it is unbelievable that the police could ignore photographic evidence which clearly shows that the wrong man had been charged.
It is unclear whether the police spoke with the other young man as part of their investigation.
Rasiawan, of Eccles, East Bank Demerara, was charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving for which he was released on $300,000 bail each. He was also charged with breach of insurance, taking a vehicle without the consent of an owner and driving without a licence, for which he was released on $50,000 bail each and driving under the influence of alcohol, for which he was released on $7,500 bail.
According to the police report, around 8.30 pm on February 3, Rasiawan allegedly drove GLL 6514 at a fast rate on the Mon Repos Public Road and collided with minibus BMM 8260. The collision resulted in the death of minibus driver Godfrey Daniels, 42, of Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara, and passenger Shondel Yaw, 36, of Annandale, East Coast Demerara. Several other persons sustained severe and minor injuries.
Police said that Rasiawan, whose blood alcohol level was found to be above the legal limit, appeared to have lost control of the vehicle and collided head on with the minibus, which was travelling in the opposite direction.
