A young painter was yesterday charged with causing the death of Reena Singh, who was fatally struck down on Sunday night at Letter Kenny, Corentyne, triggering angry protests over frequent road accidents.
Andrew Johnson, 20, of Lot 338 Number 51 Village, Corentyne, appeared before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Whim Magistrate’s Court, where he was not required to plead to the indictable charge. Johnson was eventually released on $600,000 bail after a successful application by his lawyer.
It is alleged that on September 14, at Letter Kenny, Johnson drove motor vehicle PMM 3080 in a manner dangerous to the public and caused the death of Singh, 18, of Letter Kenny.
Police Prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Sheriff objected to bail and listed his reasons as the seriousness and prevalence of the offence.
But Johnson’s attorney, Ryan Crawford, pointed out that the law states that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty.
Further, he argued that bail is granted to a defendant for him/her to attend court and should not be used as a punishment. The offence, he noted, is a bailable one and as a result he said bail should be granted to Johnson. The lawyer also pointed to recent causing death by dangerous driving cases in which bail was granted in magistrate’s courts across the country.
Magistrate Singh subsequently decided to grant bail but also set several conditions for it. Magistrate Singh told Johnson that he would have to surrender his passport and driver’s licence and cannot drive any motor operated vehicle.
He was also told to report to the Number 51 Village police Station every Friday at 4 pm. Johnson was cautioned that if at any point he is caught breaking any of the conditions for bail, it would be revoked.
Johnson’s next court date was fixed for October 6.
Following the adjournment of the case, a large crowd, including many relatives of Singh, exited the courtroom. The dead girl’s relatives voiced their disappointment about bail being granted.
Johnson’s family refused comment save for one family member, who said they wished they could meet Singh’s family but they were afraid of what the outcome could be due to the tension in the air.
On the day of the accident, Singh, called “Asha” and “Ashmanie,” had just gotten off a minibus when she was struck down. She was rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital, where she succumbed to the injuries she sustained.
An autopsy was performed on Singh’s body by pathologist Dr Vivekanand Brijmohan yesterday and it was determined that she died from multiple injuries.
