Former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Rear Admiral (ret’d) Gary Best has been charged in relation to the February 8th crash that claimed the life of cyclist Jude Bentley but has not yet been arraigned since he is currently “crisscrossing” the country ahead of the Monday’s General and Regional Elections.
This disclosure was made yesterday by attorney James Bond, who told Stabroek News that Best has been charged and is scheduled to appear at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning.
Bond explained that Best is not campaigning but rather he has responsibilities which he has to fulfill since he plays an “integral” role in numerous operations with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance for Change (AFC) coalition.
“Mr Best has responsibilities…He is not campaigning. Mr Best is an integral part of a lot of operations with the APNU+AFC….We ain’t got to campaign. Campaign is over right now but there are a lot of things logistically, lot of security issues, that kind of things. So sometimes he does got to be out of town. Sometimes he does got to be on the East Coast…so he is being charged and he is for court on Tuesday. He will make an appearance in court on Tuesday,” Bond said.
On Wednesday, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) advised the police to charge Best with causing death by dangerous driving and for driving a motor vehicle while his alcohol limit exceeded the prescribed limit.
The case file in the matter was sent to the DPP’s chambers on Tuesday and was returned to the police on Wednesday.
Bentley was struck on February 8th while cycling along Clive Lloyd Drive, by a vehicle driven by Best. Best was arrested after the fatal crash.
The accident occurred at approximately 4:31am on the northern side of the Russian Embassy as Bentley, 41, of Lot 33 Robb Street, Georgetown, was on his way to meet a group of cyclists for training. Best, who was driving an SUV, #PRR 8182, was proceeding in the same direction.
In a statement on the day of the incident, the police, who did not name Best, but identified him as a 61-year-old resident of Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, said he disclosed that he was proceeding east along the southern lane. He alleged that the cyclist suddenly appeared in front of him and that he applied brakes and the right side of the front of his vehicle collided with the cyclist, who fell onto the roadway and sustained injuries.
After the impact, the vehicle dislodged a lamp pole on the southern side of the road.
The police had said that Bentley was pronounced dead at the accident scene. An autopsy later revealed that the cyclist died as a result of multiple injuries.
Best, who failed a breathalyser test, was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital the following morning after he complained of feeling unwell. While there, he was under police guard.
On February 10th, he was discharged from the hospital after which he was placed on $100,000 station bail and his passport was lodged.
Bentley’s family have since expressed dissatisfaction about the manner in which the matter is being handled. They have said that they are “clueless” about the investigation and believed that they are being denied justice.
