POLICE have charged Sahid Ali (no address given) following investigations into the road fatality at Kuru Kururu, along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, earlier this week. He appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry yesterday and pleaded not guilty to charges which said, on January 25, he drove motor lorry GLL 319 and caused the death of Ronville Roberts and, having been involved in the accident in which Roberts suffered injuries, failed to render assistance.
Police Sergeant, Lionel Harvey, prosecuting, successfully objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the offences and Ali was remanded to prison.
He said, around 08:15 hrs, the defendant, being the driver of the lorry, had stopped his vehicle on the northern side of the highway and the pedal cyclist victim was proceeding in the same direction when Ali reversed and the rear wheel ran over the deceased.
The prosecutor said the defendant then drove away from the scene.
Defence Counsel, Vic Puran challenged the prosecutor’s narration, stating that a truck cannot stop, then reverse and kill someone. He suggested that the cyclist was in such a position that the driver did not see him and Roberts may have wanted to commit suicide.
The lawyer also claimed that a person was on the truck and indicated to the driver that the way was clear to reverse and that individual gave a statement to the police, stating that the driver did not hit anyone.
Puran posited that the police arrested Ali because blue paint found on his truck was believed to have come off the victim’s cycle.
He said no blood was found on the truck to suggest that it struck someone.
In response, Harvey said the police discovered the truck abandoned at a sand pit and that there are several eyewitnesses to what transpired, including one who recorded the registration number of the vehicle.
The cases were transferred to Providence Court, on East Bank Demerara, for January 31.