Vlissengen Rd fatal accident: Allegedly drunk driver on $200,000 bail

An allegedly drunk driver was granted $200,000 bail on Wednesday on a charge of causing the death of former national squash player Ian Mekdeci in an accident at the intersection of Vlissengen Road and Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, Georgetown.
Roberto Narine, 37, of Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara (EBD), appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Charged: Roberto Narine

He pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on April 30, he drove motor jeep PTT 4136 in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of 27-year-old Mekdeci.
In the end, he was released on $200,000 bail with instructions to lodge his passport with the court and report to the Alberttown Police Station every Friday until his trial ends.
The matter has been adjourned to June 15.
On Tuesday, Narine was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Clive Nurse on two charges—driving under the influence of alcohol, and driving an unregistered vehicle.
He pleaded not guilty to the drunk driving charge and was released on $20,000 bail. After admitting guilt to the other charge, Narine was fined $20,000.
Mekdeci died in the wee hours of Saturday following the two-vehicle collision. His friend, 31-year-old Sheik Baksh, of Dowding Street, Kitty, remains in critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital. The accident occurred at the intersection of Sandy Babb Street and Vlissengen Road, in the vicinity of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Camp Ayanganna.

Dead: Ian Mekdeci

Police have said that the accident occurred about 02:15h and involved motor car PXX 4592, driven by Baksh, and motor jeep PTT 4136, driven by Narine.
The jeep was proceeding along Vlissengen Road, while the motor car was travelling along Sandy Babb Street. At the time of the accident, the driver of the motor car was reportedly crossing the intersection on the green light when the driver of the jeep failed to stop, thus causing a collision. Mekdeci and Baksh sustained injuries to their bodies and were picked up by an ambulance in an unconscious condition and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Critical: Sheik Baksh

Baksh was admitted as a patient to the Emergency Unit of the hospital, suffering from a broken left arm, a laceration to the head, and a punctured left lung. Mekdeci, on the other hand, was pronounced dead on arrival. A breathalyser test administered on the driver of the jeep proved that he was way above the legal limit of alcohol consumption.
Mekdeci was a squash player who had recently participated in the Georgetown Squash Association-organised Squash League. In 2019, he performed exceptionally well in the Bounty Farm Handicap Squash Tournament. (G1)