Minibus driver on trial for murder of passenger

Minibus driver Travis Gordon Benjamin on Wednesday appeared before the Demerara High Court, where evidence was led in the ongoing murder trial relating to the death of Vanessa Bishop.

The trial, which is being heard before Justice Gino Persaud, included testimony from Government Pathologist Dr Nehul Singh and another medical practitioner, both of whom described injuries sustained by Bishop that they said were consistent with assault, a motor-vehicle collision, or a fall from a height. During the proceedings, the prosecution tendered four separate video recordings allegedly showing a yellow minibus, said to have been driven by Benjamin, travelling from Soesdyke Junction and along the B and E Field, Sophia, route.
However, a Police Officer who collected and presented the footage conceded under cross-examination by defence counsel Candice Nelson that he was unable to positively identify the driver from the videos. The Officer also admitted that he could not determine how many persons were aboard the minibus at the time. According to the facts presented in court, Bishop and Benjamin were not known to each other.
On the night of September 25, 2020, Bishop reportedly boarded the minibus after leaving her workplace at Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara, at about 22:00h. Investigators allege that Bishop did not exit the vehicle that night, contrary to claims previously made by Benjamin. In the early hours of September 27, 2020, Bishop arrived at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in a delirious state and suffering from serious injuries about her body. She was admitted for medical treatment but later succumbed to her injuries.
Benjamin was subsequently arrested and charged with Bishop’s murder.