A North Ruimveldt minibus driver was yesterday found guilty of causing the death of septuagenarian William Trim, who died following a vehicular collision along Aubrey Barker Road.
As a result, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan sentenced bus driver Sherwin Hopkinson, 30, of 78 Kaikan Street, North Ruimveldt, to four years in prison for driving dangerously, thereby causing the death of Trim.
According to the magistrate, the prosecution, which was led by Prosecutor Neville Jeffers, provided the court with 10 credible witnesses who said that the minibus driven by the accused was speeding when it attempted to overtake Trim’s vehicle before the accident occurred. According to the witnesses, the deceased was negotiating a turn when Hopkinson collided into him, flinging his car several meters away.
The Chief Magistrate noted that the accused, in leading his defence, claimed that he attempted to overtake Trim’s vehicle but the car made a sudden turn, which caused him to collide with it. However, the magistrate said she disbelieved that the driver of the car made a sudden turn and also noted that the witness provided by Hopkinson was not credible since he admitted under cross-examination that he could not have seen if Trim made a sudden turn in front of the accused.
According to the magistrate, she was satisfied that the accused drove his bus at a fast rate, which caused the accident, and that the injuries received by Trim, which eventually led to his death, were caused by the accused in the accident.
She further noted that Hopkinson’s driving was reckless and he had no consideration for others on the road.
Before the sentence was handed down, Hopkinson begged Trim’s family for forgiveness and he pleaded with the court for leniency. According to the accused, while he was on trial he was in the Camp Street jail for four months and it has been hard on his two children. Hopkinson said that he has been driving for nine years and the collision was his first accident.
When the Chief Magistrate sentenced Hopkinson to four years in prison, she told him that the court had taken into consideration the time he had already spent in jail.
