TWENTY-TWO-year-old Darshan Babulall, called ‘Videsh’, appeared on Friday before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga at the #51 Village Magistrate’s Court on the Corentyne in East Berbice, charged with causing the death of 11-year-old Simon Christopher Kendall on the Number 46 Village, Corentyne public Road on Thursday, December 8.

He faces a ‘causing death by dangerous driving’ charge and three other charges: driving with a suspended licence, failing to stop at the scene of an accident, and failing to render assistance. He pleaded not guilty to all four charges and was remanded to prison.

According to the facts of the case, on Thursday, December 8th, at about 16:30 hrs, Babulall was allegedly proceeding at a fast rate on the #46 Village Public Road, Corentyne Berbice when he struck Kendall, a first-form student of the Tagore Memorial Secondary School. At the time of the accident, Kendall was heading to the family’s farm a few houses away. The impact of the hit hurled him some distance away, and Babulall reportedly failed to stop or render assistance, driving instead to his home at #46 Village a few houses away from the scene.

Babulall went into hiding, and the car, PVV 7617, which he was driving at the time of the accident, was returned to the scene by his brother, father and a cousin. He was later apprehended by police and placed before the courts.

Police told the court that Babulall was, in May of 2016, convicted of causing, by dangerous driving, the death of 51-year-old Roy DeSouza of Alness Village, and was sentenced to one year in prison and two years’ suspension of his driver’s licence. The court learnt that Babulall appealed the decision at the High Court and was granted bail.

Given the facts as presented by the prosecutor and the nature and gravity of the offence, Magistrate Artiga remanded Babulall to prison until December 28, when he will make his second court appearance.