The Owia man who drove a rented car in Point Village on Nov. 5, sometime before it ran off the road and almost struck a child in Owia with another unlicensed driver at the wheel has been fined.
Georgetown Magistrate Bertie Pompey had remanded the man, Odyne Hoyte, a 21-year-old labourer, to prison for three days before his sentencing last Thursday.
He imposed a fine of EC$1000, ordering Hoyte to pay EC$500 forthwith or three months in prison.
Hoyte has to pay the balance in one month, if he is to avoid a three-month prison sentence.
The court also disqualified Hoyte from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for a year
On Nov. 6, the same magistrate imposed fines with terms of imprisonment in the alternative on Jevorn Williams, 22, of Owia, who was driving the car when it ran off the road and almost struck a child in Owia on Nov. 5.
Pompey fined Williams EC$800 for dangerous driving and ordered him to pay the amount in one month or spend four months in prison.
For driving an uninsured motor vehicle, he was fined EC$500 to be paid in one month or four months in prison.
Williams was further disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s permit for eight months
For driving without being the holder of a driver’s permit, the defendant was fined EC$250 to be paid forthwith or two months imprisonment.
The incident when the car also struck the child was captured on video and has been widely circulated on social media.
Williams pleaded guilty to charges that on Nov. 5, at Owia Public Road:
– he drove motor vehicle RM746 in a manner dangerous to the public.
— being the driver of RM746, he did drive the vehicle without being the holder of a driver’s permit.
– being the driver of RM746, he drove the said vehicle without there being in force a policy of insurance in respect to third party risk in respect to the said vehicle.
Hoyte pleaded guilty to charges that on Nov. 5, at Point Village:
— he drove motor vehicle RM746, whilst being disqualified from driving for two consecutive one-year periods by Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne at Serious Offences Court on March 31, 2022
— he did drive motor vehicle RM746 without there being in force a policy of insurance in respect of third party risk in respect of the said vehicle.
Presenting the facts in the Williams matter, prosecutor Corporal Delando Charles said that on Nov. 5, at 8 a.m., Police Constable 1000 Minors became aware of a video clip of an accident which occurred at the Owia Public Road, involving RM746, a red SX4 than ran into a wall, almost striking a boy.
Upon investigation, Minors met the vehicle parked at the side of the road. The driver was not located and the officer cordoned off the area.
Investigations led to Williams, who was later located at Owia.
When asked for his driver’s permit, Williams told the officer that he did not have a permit but he was in the process of getting one.
He was later arrested and charged for the offences.
In his defence, Williams told the court:
“We were coming from Sandy Bay and I took over (driving) from Point. When I get by e river (in Owia), a car came down inside the river. I try and take my foot off ah de X (accelerator), but I had on a slippers so me foot rub underneath e thing so when me try go and rest me foot on de brakes now, I didn’t get much time so dat is de reason why yo see the car go on de siding.”
Williams told the court he had not seen the little boy, who is seen in the video running away just as the car struck the kerb.
“The boy was little below the sidewalk, not on the sidewalk. That’s all I have to say.”
The facts in the matters against Hoyte are that on Sunday, at 11 a.m. PC 194 Browne was dispatched to an accident scene along the Owia Public Road.
Hoyte was met on the scene and told the officer that he was not driving at the time of the accident but he had driven the said vehicle at Point Village.
When the officer asked Hoyte for his license, he told the officer he was disqualified from driving.
In mitigation, Hoyte told the magistrate, “I thought it (disqualification from driving) was already up.”