Mocha businessman charged for death of elderly pedestrian

Fifty-year-old Cleveland Softleigh, a grocery store owner of Mocha, East Bank Demerara, was on Thursday released on one million dollars bail when he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

Softleigh, who was represented by Attorney-at-law Leslie Sobers, denied the allegation, which detailed that on July 29, 2017, at Herstelling Eastern Carriageway Public Road, EBD, he drove motor car PKK 3251 in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of Ingrid James.
In a bail application for his client, Sobers related that the accused, who is a small business owner and father of four, is the sole breadwinner of his family, and has every intention of appearing in court pending the outcome of trial.
Moreover, the lawyer indicated that his client strongly denies any guilt or fault on his part.
Meanwhile, Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves did not object to bail being granted. According to the prosecution’s case, on the day in question, around 20:20 hours, the vehicle driven by Softleigh was proceeding south along the eastern carriageway of the East Bank Public Road when it collided with the deceased, who was in the process of crossing the road from the western side to the eastern.
The victim’s body, pitched some distance away, was taken in an unconscious state by the accused to the Diamond Diagnostic Hospital, where she died.
The driver of the implicated motor car was then arrested and taken into police custody, where he was charged with the present offence.
Guyana Times was reliably informed that at the time of her death, the sixty-four-year-old deceased was resident at Lot 1294 Section “C” Block “Y” Golden Grove, EBD.
At Thursday’s court hearing, Softleigh through his lawyer communicated his inability to pay the hefty bail imposed by the court in a request for reduction – a petition which was nonetheless denied by the presiding magistrate.
The accused will appear before the court of Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on December 5, 2017.