Driver who allegedly struck man down, dumped body granted $1.8M bail

The 53-year-old Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD) man who was initially remanded to prison for causing the death of Reonol Williams, whom he allegedly struck down and then dumped overboard, has been released on $1.8 million bail for a slew of traffic offences.

Daniel Melbourne, a musician and father of three, was charged on June 10 and appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.
Then he was remanded to prison. At his second court appearance, on Friday, however, the accused’s lawyer, Patrice Henry, renewed an application for reasonable bail on his client’s behalf.
He was charged with the following offences: causing death by dangerous driving; failure to report an accident; failure to render assistance; failure to produce his vehicle for examination, giving false information to the Police, and attempting to obstruct the course of justice.
The Magistrate granted Melbourne bail on each of the charges, amounting to $1.8 million.

Melbourne’s next court date is October 28.
Williams, 50, a father of two and labourer of Enmore, ECD, went missing on May 23 after he was struck down, allegedly by Melbourne, who was driving a red Toyota Fielder wagon, PAB 2552.
The accident occurred on the Enmore Public Road, ECD. Following the accident, Melbourne picked up the injured man to take him to the hospital but this was never done.
Instead, Williams disappeared without a trace. His family had reported the man’s disappearance to the Police and an investigation was launched. The owner of the car was arrested but after interrogation, he claimed that he was in the interior and that one of his nephews had taken the car without his knowledge. As such, he was released on station bail.
However, after almost two weeks and no signs of Williams, the family requested an audience with Police Commissioner (ag) Clifton Hicken. After the meeting, the Major Crimes Investigation Unit of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was instructed to take up the case.

Rearrested
As a result, Melbourne was rearrested and during interrogation, he took detectives to the location along the Coldingen Access Road, ECD, where Williams’s decomposed body was discovered.
Williams’s sister identified the body to be that of her brother, based on the clothes on the remains found. She told detectives that her brother was wearing the same clothes when he went missing.
According to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, Melbourne confessed that he was the driver of the motor car at the time of the accident. He reportedly admitted that after he struck Williams down, he placed him in his vehicle and as he was driving, he observed that Williams was motionless.
Out of fear, he further admitted that he stopped the car at a bridge in Coldingen, ECD, and disposed of the body in the trench.
After doing this, he told detectives that he went home and informed his mother that his vehicle was missing and that he had made a report to the Police. Further, he also admitted that the initial information he provided to the Police about him being in the interior was false.
After Williams was struck down, a friend of his who witnessed the accident had gone to the now dead man’s family’s home to inform them that he was taken to the hospital. But after checking several hospitals – both public and private – Williams was not found. (G1)