Corentyne schoolboy accident…Minibus driver remanded

The driver of the minibus, which slammed into a canter on the Corentyne last Thursday, resulting in the death of a school child, has been remanded to prison on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

The accused was refused bail when he appeared at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh on Tuesday.

Leon Parhoo, 24, of Lot 27 Number 67 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) was not required to plea to the indictable charge, which stated that on February 12, at Bengal Village, Corentyne, he drove minibus bearing registration number BPP 2259 in a manner dangerous to the public thereby causing the death of Narvin Bachu.

The 16-year-old was killed moments after the accident involving the bus, which was transporting children home from the Regional Schools’ Costume Parade finals, which were held at the Albion Sports Complex, Corentyne. Eight students, one adult, a conductor and driver were in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Magistrate Singh also read another charge to the accused which stated that on the same day at Bengal Village, he failed to render assistance to take Bachu to seek medical attention. He pleaded not guilty to that charge.

In a bail application, Defence Attorney Krissondat Persaud told the court that while the offence is a serious one, the defence will comply with whatever bail conditions the court deems fit in granting Parhoo his pre-trail liberty. He told the court that the accused was in a common-law relationship and has one child.

The Attorney argued that Parhoo had not been allowed to seek medical attention by the Police, as he too was injured in the accident. As it related to fleeing the scene after the accident, Persaud told the court that after the accident, his client along with the conductor of the bus fled the scene because their lives were under theat.

Before the bail application could be considered, Police Prosecutor, Inspector Godfrey Platter objected to bail on the grounds that one person had died and several others are still in a critical condition as a result of the accident. He said that although the accused fled the scene, he was taken to the Police within 24- hours of the accident.

In refusing bail, Magistrate Singh ordered that the accused be taken for medical attention.

The matter comes up again on February 24 at the Number 51 Magistrate’s Court, when the Police will be expected to present an update on the state of other victims involved in the accident.

Meanwhile, a post-mortem examination performed on the body of Narvin Bachu on Tuesday by Government Pathologist, Dr Vivekananda Bridgemohan revealed that the 16-year-old died as a result of multiple injuries. The autopsy also found that the deceased suffered a fractured skull and fractured spine.

Bachu was a student attending the Skeldon High School preparing to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) in May. He leaves to mourn his mother, a brother and two sisters.

It had been reported in the media that the driver was speeding at the time of the accident. Victims of the accident had also stated that it was raining and the driver refused to slow down when asked to do so.