Mechanic accused of causing teen’s death freed

Mandela Avenue accident….

…alcohol found on breath was as a result of mouthwash use

By Shemuel Fanfair

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan has found that Lennox De Nobrega did not drive dangerously when the vehicle he was driving collided with 17-year-old Jhamallie Niles on October 14, 2017 on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.
The decision regarding the 36-year-old father of three was handed down in that Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Magistrate McLennan indicated that the Prosecution failed beyond reasonable doubt to prove the case against De Nobrega, a mechanic of Church Street

Dead teen, Jhamallie Niles

Cummingsburg, Georgetown.
The court considered that no evidence was provided that there were skid marks observed on the road, which would have been consistent with speeding. The court also found that the lighting conditions were poor. The Chief Magistrate, moreover, considered the vehicle inspection, and that no witness had suggested that the defendant was driving at a fast rate of speed.
She also recalled the testimony of De Nobrega, who admitted that he was the driver of PRR 7624, the motorcar that collided with the deceased person, whom he claimed had run into the vehicle. The court also found that the former accused had applied his brakes upon colliding with the deceased teenager.
The court’s decision to free De Nobrega comes despite the fact that alcohol was found on his breath when a breathalyzer test was conducted after the accident. After the decision was announced, an obviously relieved De Nobrega simply exited the court room.
During his trial earlier this week, De Nobrega, represented by Defence Counsel Dexter Todd, had claimed that the positive test for alcohol on his breath had been due to mouthwash he had used earlier on the day in question.
De Nobrega had been released on $ 500,000 bail by the Chief Magistrate in December last. His then lawyer, Charles Ramson Jr, had told the court that the deceased had dashed out of a carwash. Media reports had indicated that the teen

Lenox De Nobrega

had ventured onto the roadway to sell bottled water to help maintain himself and his family. After the accident, Niles had been rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His cause of death was given as cerebral hemorrhage due to blunt trauma to the head. On January 31, Magistrate Allan Wilson had dismissed the matter against Attorney-at-law Keisha Chase, who was on trial for causing death by dangerous driving. The prosecution had been ordered to close its case due to missing testimony.