A 25-year-old man who was charged last year with causing the death of his common-law wife in a motorcycle accident was found guilty and sentenced to two years in jail on Tuesday by Magistrate Fabayo Azore.
Laurent McGarrell was arraigned on a charge of causing the death of his 20-year-old common-law wife, Gaitri Sahadeo, who was killed in a motorcycle accident at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) on June 23, 2017. A breathalyser test conducted on McGarrell after the accident had determined that he had a blood alcohol level of 40 micrograms, which is over the legal limit.
In addition to the causing death charge, McGarrell was also arraigned on a slew of traffic-related charges, namely driving without a driver’s licence, driving without
third-party insurance, driving without a safety helmet, carrying a pillion rider without protective head gear, driving a motorcycle while being under the influence of alcohol, and driving a motorcycle without consent from the owner.
He denied the charges of driving under the influence and taking the motorcycle without the owner’s permission, but admitted to the other traffic-related offences.
He was fined $7500 for each of the charges in relation to driving without a helmet and carrying a pillion rider without the protective head gear, and was fined $30,000 for unlicensed driving; while the breach of insurance offence also attracted a penalty of a $30,000 fine.
McGarrell was disqualified from acquiring or being able to hold a driver’s licence for any class of vehicle for a period of 12 months.
During his first appearance last year, he broke down in tears and told the court that
