Two men were released on $1,000,000 bail each after they were charged with manslaughter when they made an appearance before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
Devon Thompson, 29, and Kavesh Persaud,28, were not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on January 22, in the Mazaruni River they killed nine persons who were on board a boat.
The charge was read to them yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. Thompson’s attorney Roger Heywood asked that his client be released on bail since he has a fixed place of abode at Lot 104 Third Avenue, Bartica. He argued that Thompson has always made himself available whenever the police requested. He stated that his client has never been charged before and it should be taken into consideration that it was an accident.
Heywood also pointed out that at the time of the accident Thompson managed to save a few lives.
Attorney-at-law James Bond who represented Persaud stated that his client resides at Kartabo Point, Mazaruni and he is a welder. He said that he had been reporting to the Bartica Police Station as requested.
Bond added that because of his client’s faithful compliance to the police he would be requesting bail in a reasonable sum.
They were each granted bail in the sum of $1,000,000.
The matter was transferred to the Bartica Magistrates’ Court for May 10. Charges were recommended against Thompson and Persaud following the Mazaruni River collision which claimed the lives of Keanu Amsterdam, 17, of Barr Street, Kitty and Bartica; Deon Moses, 33, of Lot 6 Norton Street, Wortmanville; Kevon Ambrose, 25, of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo; Brazilian national Francisco Olivera Alves, 48; Jermaine Calistro, 27, of Boodhoo Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo; Ulrick Grimes, 39, of Salem, East Bank Essequibo; Christopher Ramnarine, 21, of Parika, East Bank Essequibo; Zahir Baksh, 34, of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara and Jewan Seeram of Tuschen.
A report on the collision, prepared by Director of Maritime Safety Stephen Thomas had confirmed that the small open boat Dube collided with another small open boat Mattrani in the Mazaruni River in the Crab Falls area, as they were navigating the point of an island. The Dube, with 10 persons on board and a quantity of cargo, was travelling from Parika and was destined for Puruni, while the Mattrani was leaving Puruni and was destined for Parika through Bartica, when the accident occurred, the report said.
Thomas was the master of the Mattrani.
