Although two cars were chasing the vehicle transporting Alana Seebarran and her brother moments before a deadly crash on December 30 last year, there is still no official word on the identity of the second driver pursuing them.
It has been confirmed that the driver of one of the two vehicles was army intelligence officer Robert Pyle, who perished along with his wife, Stacy, after they collided with truck driver Linden Eastman, who also died, bringing an end to a bungled surveillance operation.
An eyewitness and Seebarran have said that two cars were chasing after her vehicle.
Sources say that while there is a tight grasp on information surrounding the case, there are reports that a policeman was behind the wheel of the second car. The identity of this person would not have been hard for the relevant authorities to ascertain as it was this vehicle that transported the badly injured Pyle to the Georgetown Hospital, where the licence plate number would have been recorded in keeping with standard practice in such cases. The record is made both by the hospital security official manning the gate and the police on duty in the hospital outpost.
One source said that given that Pyle was seconded to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) for a special assignment, it is unlikely that he would be on work-related duties alone. Since there is no indication of more army ranks working for the unit, the source said, the only conclusion that can be reached is that it was a policeman.
SOCU falls under the Guyana Police Force and is supposed to report to the Commissioner of Police. Its head, Sydney James, was given an Assistant Commissioner rank; prior to his deployment to the unit, he was a serving member of the Guyana Defence Force. It is unknown how many investigators are attached to the unit and the make-up of additional staff necessary to ensure its mandate is executed.
Minutes after the accident, an eyewitness, who had been proceeding along Carifesta Avenue, had related to Stabroek News that three vehicles—a red Toyota Surf, a silver Toyota Allex and a white Toyota Premio [which was driven by Robert Pyle]—had all been speeding along the roadway.
“I driving and all of a sudden the two vehicles, the Allex on the left and the Premio on the right, drive pass me fast,” he said. He estimated that the vehicles overtook him at the same time traveling about 120 Kmph. “I was already traveling lil fast but then these two vehicles just speed past me,” he added.
The man further said that several seconds after the two vehicles flew by, he heard a loud, explosive like impact. “After we hear the big noise, we see debris flying all over and the Premio and the Canter skating,” he added.
Pyle, who had been driving on the outside lane at a fast rate and was overtaking all the vehicles ahead, had entered the lane for oncoming traffic where Eastman had been driving.
“The [truck] was driving fast and the Premio was driving fast, but you see neither of them couldn’t go anywhere and they both tried to swerve in the same direction,” the eyewitness said, while adding that the drivers ended up colliding.
Some persons who had gathered at the scene reported to Stabroek News that the three vehicles that were supposedly racing all had their hazard lights on and after the crash, the Toyota Surf raced off and the driver of the Toyota Allex stopped and rushed the driver of the Premio to the hospital.
Seebarran, in her statement to the police, had recounted a chilling encounter with two strange men dressed in civilian clothing outside her Cowan Street, Kingston home. Being concerned and nervous, the woman and her brother entered their vehicle and one of the men spoke to them through a window that had been slightly opened.
The former beauty queen told the police that the man did not show any form of identification but mumbled that he was from the “Special Crime Organisation” and that “we need you to wait… our boss is on his way.”
She later detailed how a white car along with a silver car began trailing them with the hazard lights and high beam front lights on.
At the time of the crash, she said, they were heading to the Kitty Police Station to file a report on the advice of her father, who was communicating with them via phone. Following the accident, they reported to ranks at the station that they were being followed.
Pyle at the time believed Seebarran’s vehicle was occupied by the children of the Head of NICIL, Winston Brassington, who is being investigated by SOCU. Although the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has said Pyle was on a legitimate operation, his involvement has raised questions about the role of the army in the activities of SOCU, which is supposed to be a civilian law enforcement authority. There have been calls for an explanation by the Guyana Bar Association, which has also urged that an independent inquiry be mounted.
Police completed an investigation and according to Traffic Chief Dion Moore, the file has been sent to the chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for general advice on the way forward. This was just over a week ago.
Stabroek News was told that the probe was a vital step in having a Coroner’s Inquest done as this recommendation is expected to be made by the DPP after reviewing the case.
Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall has since said that a traffic probe in not enough given the publically-expressed concerns.
“Someone in high authority is bent on insulting the collective intelligence of this nation by thinking that the public outrage expressed in relation to this matter would disappear if an investigation is done by the traffic department,” he told Stabroek News.
