Elderly forklift operator Balgobin Persaud was on Tuesday sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty of causing the death of a University of Guyana (UG) worker.
Persaud, who was 69 years when he was charged last year, was found guilty of causing the death of Latchman Sukhdeo by dangerous driving, at the conclusion of his trial at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court 2.
Magistrate Ann McLennan imposed the five-year sentence even after Persaud offered,
through a plea of mitigation made by his attorney Lawrence Harris, to meet with the relatives of the deceased to compensate them. The magistrate stated that the issues of compensation are for the High Court.
The trial saw some 10 witnesses testifying and Prosecutor Neville Jeffers successfully led the police’s case against Persaud.
According to the charge, on August 6th, 2014, at Dennis Street, Campbellville, Persaud drove a forklift in a dangerous manner to the public, thereby causing the death of Sukhdeo.
He had been placed on $1M bail.
It was the police’s case that Sukhdeo, who was proceeding east along Dennis Street on his motorcycle, collided with the forklift and fell on the road. He was picked up and rushed to Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital, where he died while receiving treatment for his injuries. The matter was reported to the police and following an investigation Persaud was arrested and charged.
Sukhdeo, who had resided at Station Street, Kitty, died after his jugular vein was severed as a result of the collision.
His brother had previously told Stabroek News that Sukhdeo would usually travel along the lesser-used roads, such as Dennis Street, to get to work at the university. “As he was approaching the Crown Mining business, there was a forklift coming out of the yard and it had some mesh on it,” the man’s brother had said. He continued, “I don’t know he came into contact with the mesh… but it severed his jugular artery, causing his blood to pour out. We couldn’t get him to the hospital in time.”
