Brazilian pastor denied bail again over causing death charge

TIMES INT'L
Pastor Haleno Luiz
Pastor Haleno Luiz

A second bail application made for Brazilian senior pastor of the Universal Church, Haleno Luiz, was again denied by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, when he faced the courts on Wednesday.

Luiz was previously remanded to prison for causing the death of pensioner Maurice Moseley, by dangerous driving, after an unsuccessful bail application by his then defence attorney, Eusi Anderson, just over a week ago.

The Chief Magistrate on Wednesday declared that she was not satisfied with the address provided to the immigration office, which was the Church’s Wellington Street location, instead of the accused’s Robb and Cummings Street home address, thereby denying bail.

Newly retained defence council, Mark Waldron, explained that his client’s address is listed as Wellington Street because the church had applied for the work permit on the pastor’s behalf.

The Magistrate however contended that the accused is a flight risk as the Guyana-Brazil border remains easily accessible. The court previously heard that on the day of the incident, Luiz was proceeding at a fast rate along Hadfield Street and had failed to slow down upon approaching the intersection at Smyth Street, subsequently colliding with Maurice Moseley’s motorcycle, killing him.

Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that the prosecution’s file is still incomplete, owing to outstanding post-mortem results.

Members of the Brazilian church swarmed the courtroom in support of the pastor while others surrounded the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts in large numbers.

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