A 40-YEAR-OLD minibus driver was on Wednesday placed on $1M bail by Magistrate Judy Latchman on a causing death by dangerous driving charge.Robert Grant of Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that on May 23, at Garden of Eden, he drove minibus BSS 5550 in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of Keith Andrew Simon.

Grant had opted to plead guilty to the charge but when the magistrate informed him about the maximum five-year penalty attached to the charge, he quickly denied the offence.

Police Prosecutor Vishnu Hunt did not disclose the facts of the case to the court. The prosecutor also did not oppose the pretrial liberty of the defendant. The matter was adjourned to June 10, for the next scheduled court hearing.

Simon, a 37-year-old farmer and resident of Grove Housing Scheme, EBD, was fatally struck along the Garden of Eden, EBD public road on Monday morning.

He was reportedly walking on the left side of the road, heading south when he was struck and killed by a minibus that was heading in the same direction.

The driver allegedly told ranks that he swerved from a vehicle and ended up colliding with the man. Simon was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival.