Charged with driving under the influence and death by dangerous driving a senior High Court employee was yesterday granted $800,000 bail on the latter charge over the death of Jeune Carol Marshall on Tuesday, February 23.
Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan read the two charges to Patrick Higgins of 627 Section ‘B’ Diamond. The first stated that on February 23 at Houston, East Bank Demerara, he drove motor car PTT 4701 in a manner that was dangerous to the public causing the death of Marshall. The second charge stated that on the same day at the same location, Higgins drove the said car while his breath alcohol level was .037%, which is over the legal alcohol limit.
The defendant, who works as a senior marshal at the High Court, pleaded not guilty to both charges read.
Higgins was represented by Attorney Roger Yearwood in association with Lyndon Amsterdam and Dennis Paul. Yearwood told the court that the deceased was on a one-way going in a southerly direction on a road that runs in a northern direction at around 4 am in dark clothing. It was the manoeuvre that the deceased attempted to execute that was a major factor in causing the incident, he said. He further stated that after the incident, the defendant remained on the scene while it took the police about one hour to arrive, adding that his client made no attempt to flee or evade the police. There was an eyewitness, he said, and his client later drove his vehicle to the station. He added that the police have not attempted to make contact with Higgins.
Police Prosecutor Wineth Hubbard objected to bail on the grounds that a life has been lost, the seriousness of the offence, the fact that the driver was above the legal alcohol limit and the fact that the address the defendant gave to police was different from the one given in court.
Yearwood clarified the matter of the two different addresses stating that the address, Grove Court 14 Broad Street, Charlestown, was where the defendant was living along with his mother and sister. He added that Higgins only recently moved to the Diamond address.
Chief Magistrate McLennan granted the defendant $10,000 bail on the driving under the influence charge, adjourning the matter to February 29.
On the causing death charge, Higgins was granted $800,000 bail and was required to lodge his passport. That matter was adjourned to March 4. Higgins’s driver’s licence has been suspended until the completion of both cases.
