A Guyana Defence Force (GDF) rank has been released on bail after being charged with causing the death of Ameena Sooklall in a car accident at McDoom, East Bank Demerara last December.
Lance Corporal Jason Butters, 23, of Onderneeming, West Bank Demerara, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Courts before the Chief Magistrate yesterday when he was placed on bail after denying a death by dangerous driving charge.
It is alleged that on December 15, 2020, at the McDoom Public Road, East Bank Demerara, he drove motorcar PTT 4166 in a manner dangerous to the public thereby causing the death of Sooklall.
Butters was represented by attorney-at-law Stanley Moore who told the court that the man was innocent. Moore added that the man is a member of the GDF and that he was already on station bail and that he attended court. He said that his client would attend court for the trial of the matter if granted reasonable bail.
The police prosecutor then told the court that given the circumstances and based on the fact that the man was already on station bail and attending court, that there would be no objection to bail. According to the prosecutor’s facts, Butters was driving the vehicle in a northern direction along the eastern driving lane of the western carriageway and that he fell asleep when passing the Shell Gas Station at McDoom. This caused the car to run into the median and Sooklall who was a passenger in the front seat suffered injuries. He said that the woman was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Butters was placed on $150,000 bail and told to return to court on March 23.
This newspaper had previously reported that the 33-year-old woman of Lot 21 B Peters Hall had left her family’s business place and had not made contact with them for eight hours before her demise. According to her younger sister, Sooklall had to ship some products to Port Kaituma for the business and left to go to the shipping company at around 4 pm. That was the last they heard from her.
According to the police report, the accident that claimed Sooklall’s life occurred at about 10.45 in the vicinity of the new Gafoor’s access road on Mc Doom Public Road, Georgetown. The police had said that the car Sooklall was in was being driven by a GDF rank and had two other occupants: Alston Edwards, 26, of Shopping Plaza, South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown, and Sooklall.
Investigations revealed that the driver of the motor car was driving at a moderate speed when he suddenly felt drowsy and after closing his eyes, he lost control of the vehicle and collided with the concrete median. This caused Sooklall to be fatally injured. The occupants were taken to the GPH where they were examined.
