Cordel Roberts, a 57-year-old taxi operator who caused the death of a 74-year-old woman by dangerous driving about two years and four months ago, will know his fate on June 14.
At the High Court Criminal Assizes on Wednesday, following a trial that started on Monday, a nine-member jury of five women and four men found Roberts guilty of, that on December 16, 2019, at James Street, Kingstown, being the driver of HS722, caused the death of Aletha Adina Dover on January 6, 2020, by dangerous driving.
Justice Brian Cottle adjourned sentencing to June 14 and ordered a Social Inquiry Report on Roberts to be filed and submitted by June 10.
Dover, who had migrated to Trinidad and Tobago several years, had returned home on vacation when the mishap occurred.
The Crown’s case was that around 5:3pm on December 16, 2019, Dover, her sister Agatha Williams of Glamorgan, and Eden Morgan, a former auxiliary police officer, were crossing the road on James Street in the vicinity of Subway and Eat Rite Restaurant to go over to the building which housed the Intermediate High School (Timmy), when she was struck by the Noah Taxi, driven by Roberts. She was taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital in the same vehicle and was warded but succumbed to her injuries on January 6, 2020.
An autopsy by Dr. Tracey Barnard showed that the 74-year-old died from multiple trauma due to a road traffic accident.
Crown Counsel Maria Jackson-Richards led the case for the Crown. Roberts was unrepresented.
Sergeant Atnel Ash told the Court he saw how the accident occurred. He recalled that the vehicle HS772, driven by Roberts was driving alongside him.
Ash was driving on the right lane, while the other vehicle was driving on the left. Ash stopped in the area of Subway as three women including Dover were crossing the road, and the person in front of the other two signaled him to stop so that they could cross.
Ash said he stopped, and the other vehicle stopped also.
Dover’s sister Agatha Williams was in the middle and Dover was behind. However, according to Ash, as Dover got in front of the vehicle Roberts was driving, Roberts sped off, and his vehicle struck the elderly woman and dragged her a distance from where she was struck, before stopping.
Ash assisted in putting her in Roberts’ vehicle, and Roberts took her to the hospital. The Crown’s Case was that Dover was dragged more than 50 ft. from where she was struck.
Dover’s sister Agatha Williams and Eden Morgan, the other two persons crossing the road with Dover, both told the Court, in their testimonies, that they did not see when Dover was struck by the vehicle, but they heard a loud sound, and saw the vehicle dragging the woman.
Morgan told the Court that she was in front and when they got to the vicinity of Eat Rite Restaurant (no longer there) she held up her hand to ask the traffic to stop, so that they could pass, and the vehicle in front gave them the right away (Ash’s vehicle). She said they were crossing over toward the building which housed the Intermediate High School when she heard a commotion.
“They had a whole set of people coming up in front the vehicle, and saying death, death”, Morgan recalled. She then saw Dover on the ground, and an H vehicle pulling Dover’s skirt. She said Dover was trying to pull out her skirt, but she kept going under the vehicle. She said people were screaming, and the vehicle stopped, and she saw Dover lying on the ground, and the driver exited the vehicle. She said the driver who stopped his vehicle for them to cross the road (Ash), also exited his vehicle and assisted in putting Dover in the H vehicle, which took her to the hospital.
Under cross-examination by Roberts, Morgan said she did not see when the vehicle struck Dover, and could not recall what kind of vehicle it was, but remembered that it was an H vehicle. She said Roberts remain on the scene and co-operated with the police.
Williams’ testimony corroborated what Morgan said, but she too said she did not see when the vehicle struck Dover.
The investigator, Constable Jason Young, attached to the traffic branch, said when Roberts was cautioned he told the police, “I was going to the wharf from James Street. When I got to the area of Timmy School, I saw two ladies crossing. I slowed down for them to pass, and up comes a third person. I don’t know where she comes from.”
When the officer asked him if he had seen the third lady for the first time when she was lying on the ground, he replied in the affirmative but admitted that he heard a ‘bump’ following which he did not go any further.
Roberts was taken into custody on January 13, 2020, one week after Dover died. The accident scene was revisited, and Roberts was again cautioned. He told the police then, “The car in front of me was going too slow.
I pulled from behind and when I pulled from the car, I saw two ladies crossing. I ain’t see the third lady.”
When he was electronically interviewed by detective, Corporal Edmond Ollivierre, Roberts said he would stick to the original statement he gave to the police.
Roberts also opted not to give evidence from the dock.
Source :The Vincentian