TODAY, most, if not all, vehicular homicide cases go strangely cold. I make this bold assertion based on the facts of a number of serious cases I have personally reviewed; where the gross misuse of our public roads and highways was involved. These cases peter out into a cold end due to one, or a combination, of two factors.1: As soon as someone gets word of a member of the family getting into an accident, other family members of the perpetrator of the crime rush down to the scene as quickly as possible and locate the investigating officer. The reason behind all of this is to influence or bribe him into making out a confused charge.
Once this is done, as we say in Guyanese parlance, “Case closed.” That case is doomed from the beginning, because the charges, if any, would not reflect what actually took place. I have known of family members turning up in court in open-and-shut cases, such as drunk driving, only to find out that the charges never contained anything that read of a “DUI.”
In fact, the victim’s family members are often stunned when they hear that no test as to the state of the driver being drunk or sober was ever done. Or, if one “was done” (you would have noticed I used uplifted commas) the driver mysteriously passed the test. There are cases where drivers reeked of alcohol, could hardly stand upright, yet they were given a clean bill of health. Fantastic! Of course, all of this was facilitated by the officer walking away with a hefty bribe.
2: The second is one I consider most distressing, which is the fact that where some family members readily accept compensation on behalf of their dead relative, without a care in the world for the brutal slaying of the loved one, or the horrible way that loved one suffered. I am speaking about the callous disregard for their life: To accept blood money on the dead one is utterly outrageous.
Punishment for the criminal should never be a matter for negotiation of a policeman, far less that of the money-hungry relatives. Guilt, where punishment plays a major part, is the sole jurisdiction of the court.
Wonder what ever became of the Ramseiwan drag-racing case? Well, my honest answer is that I am convinced the case is in a nebulous state somewhere. I say this on the basis of the testimony of the common-law wife of one of the victims.
Mr. Reynolds’ common-law wife related to me that soon after his death, she began legal proceedings, but in walked his money-hungry children, who immediately took over the matter. They were of the view that the Ramseiwan guy’s parents are, as it were, “full of money”, and here was a good opportunity to profit off the old man’s death.
Well, so far, their dreams of easy blood money have not materialised, because the police in that matter have somehow been caught up in a serious bout of amnesia, which has put the entire case in a tailspin. This case is a horrible reflection of policeman and relatives of victim all in a money frenzy.
These matters should be exposed and dealt with swiftly and condignly. To allow such lawlessness to continue only increases the likelihood of more vehicular homicide cases, because reckless drivers believe they can get away with it. It is a whole sick, sad state of affairs, where vehicular homicide cases are concerned.
Right now, there are two DUI and drag-racing cases before the courts. Many lives have been lost as a result, and one wonders if these cases would also peter out into nothingness, based on the facts I highlighted earlier. Shouldn’t there be justice for the dead?
Our judges and magistrates need to look into these vehicular homicide cases, with the firm view that justice is carried out. I call on the authorities to provide justice for the dead person and thwart all efforts of the greedy, grasping efforts of family members, and the equally guilty lawmen.

NEIL ADAMS