Captain in Pomeroon tragedy charged with manslaughter – granted Gy$600,000 bail

The captain of a Region Two Regional Democratic Council (RDC) boat who allegedly caused the deaths of six persons in the Pomeroon River recently, was on Monday charged with manslaughter.

Fifty-eight-year-old Hytilall Ramdahin of Abrams Creek in the Upper Pomeroon appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Charity Magistrate’s Court on the Essequibo Coast to answer to the charge. He was granted bail in the sum of Gy$600,000.
Magistrate Scarce, after telling the captain to take a seat and listen attentively, read the charge to a silent courtroom, and cautioned the accused that he was not required to plead to the indictable charge.  Scarce said according to police, on December 18, 2012, the boat captain killed six persons in the vicinity of Siriki in the Upper Pomeroon, as a result of a boat collision.
The 42-year-old captain of the other boat, Harrinarine Bhagwandin, also from Abrams Creek, Upper Pomeroon River was among the deceased. Five of his six passengers also died: Velda Rodrigues, 50; her son Shawn Anthony, 14; and Vincent Singh, 40, all of Abrams Creek; as well as Singh’s nephew Rajkumar Singh, 14, of Charity Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast and his niece Amerita Singh, 10.
Eli Orlando, 12, of Abrams Creek, the lone survivor, suffered injuries.  Magistrate Scarce told the captain that he was charged with one count of manslaughter for each of the persons who perished.
Making his case for the defendant’s pre-trial liberty to be granted, defence lawyer Lachmi Dindyal stated that his client, a father of three, is not a flight risk and has a permanent place of residence. The attorney added that Ramdahin has been a licensed driver for the regional administration for the past 15 years and has a total of 40 years’ experience at sea. He stressed that his client has been reporting periodically to the police since the incident and has a very good relationship with the officers.
Dindyal told the magistrate that the collision was unfortunate, and some leniency should be shown to the captain. However, before the magistrate made his decision on bail, Prosecutor Krishnadatt Ramana stood, objecting to bail as he noted that six persons lost their lives in the collision. He said three of the victims were children who were robbed of a future, adding that the charge is a serious one and recommending that the defendant be remanded.  After listening to the arguments, the magistrate imposed bail and ordered Ramdahin to return to court on February 18 when the preliminary inquiry will commence.
Disappointed
As Ramdahin’s relatives were pooling money to pay his bail, the parents of the deceased children Amerita and Anthony Singh were standing outside the courtroom. They had missed the hearing. Several other relatives of the victims were at the court. They all expressed disappointment that the court granted bail to the captain.
Following the tragedy, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) had submitted a report to the commissioner of police recommending criminal charges be filed against the captain. The recommendation was made following the completion of MARAD’s preliminary inquiry, Transport Minister Robeson Benn told the National Assembly  last Thursday. MARAD found that there were several operational breaches that resulted in the two passenger boats colliding in the middle of the Pomeroon River.
In a subsequent interview with this newspaper, Ramdahin said he was sorry for the tragedy.  He related that he was on the right side of the Pomeroon River when the collision occurred. Ramdahin stated that on the day of the incident, he was returning with 12 passengers from St Monica, an Amerindian community, in the boat powered by a 200-horsepower outboard engine.  Ramdahin stated that while driving on the right side of the wide river heading to Charity, a shower of rain came down and he ordered the passengers to use the covers to avoid getting wet. He said it was raining heavily, but he kept his eyes on the river and he saw another boat travelling in his direction.  He said the boat was approximately 10 minutes away, so he maintained his course, but shortly after the other boat swerved in front of his, and ended up in the bushes.