Almost five months have gone since the death of Salima Heeralal and there is still no word about any charges against the driver, Marshall Allicock, whose vehicle collided with another along the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara, on September 29, 2024.
When asked about the recommendation of charges against Allicock, Stabroek News was repeatedly told by Regional Commander, Senior Superintendent Ewart Wray, that the file containing the facts of the investigation has not been returned by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
However, according to a source, Allicock and relatives of Salima have decided to settle the matter privately.
When the commander was asked about this he responded, “I’m unaware of that.”
The matter has drawn consternation as the accused is the relative of a senior government official. When Stabroek News contacted Salima’s husband, Prakash Heeralal to confirm if indeed the matter had been settled, he stated, “I don’t want to get into that.”
On October 27 last year, Acting Communication Officer of the Guyana Police Force Corporate Communication Unit Stan Gouveia, told the Stabroek News that Allicock was discharged from a city hospital and placed in custody, after which he was released on cash bail. The file, he had said, was sent to DPP for legal advice. The police had assured the family of Heeralal, who succumbed to her injuries on September 30 in the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital, that an impartial probe will be conducted. Senior members of the police force visited the family on October 4.
The incident had involved a car, PAE 672, driven by Allicock, 21, of Earl’s Court, LBI, and another car, PAH 5148, owned by Trans Guyana Airways and driven by Prakash Heeralal, 58, with Salima as a passenger.
Inquiries revealed, the police had said, that PAH 5148 was proceeding west along the LBI Railway Embankment, whilst PAE 672 was proceeding south out of the LBI access road. Allicock allegedly failed to stop when approaching the intersection and collided with PAH 5148, causing it to crash into a bridge.
The driver and passenger of PAH 5148 were taken out of the vehicle by public-spirited citizens and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where they were admitted.
Allicock was taken to a private city hospital by a family member and was hospitalised for some time before he was discharged. Prakash was also later discharged from the hospital.
