Motorcyclist charged for causing death of Lusignan painter

Leon Lewis, a 31-year-old clerk at the Ministry of Health and a resident of Nkrumah Street in Annandale, East Coast Demerara, was on Friday arraigned before Sparendaam Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, among other charges.
It is alleged that on August 15, at Lusignan Public Road, ECD, he drove motorcycle CL 4502 in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of 53-year-old Prahalad Sawh.
Lewis was placed on $500,000 bail after pleading not guilty to the causing-death charge, and will return to court in regard to that matter on October 13. He, however, is scheduled to appear in court today to answer charges related to several other traffic offences.

A Police report has stated that both the motorcycle and motor car PVV 854 were proceeding in an easterly direction on the Lusignan Public Road on the day of the fatal accident. Lewis told investigators that he was behind a minibus when he suddenly saw a shadow moving across the roadway. Lewis, the Police said, noted that as the minibus passed, he saw the pedestrian Sawh in front of him, but he was so close that he collided with Sawh, a painter.
However, instead of assisting the pedestrian after the collision, Lewis had picked up his bike and had driven away. He later turned up at a private city hospital to seek medical attention, and was located by the Police and arrested.
Meanwhile, the driver of the motor car, 43-year-old Wavell Lamatt of Beterverwagting, ECD, told the Police that while proceeding along the said road at a normal rate of speed behind the motorcyclist, he saw someone lying on the roadway and he pulled north to avoid a collision, but despite his effort, he ran over the person.

Both the motorcyclist and the pedestrian had sustained injuries in the collision. The late Prahalad Sawh’s reputed wife, Sanmatie Persaud, told Guyana Times that she had witnessed when the motorcycle collided with Sawh. (G1)