ACCEPT MY CONDOLENCESBy STACY MOORE Saturday, August 22 2009
TRUCK driver Balton Barnwell, 70, yesterday offered his condolences to the families of five persons who died in a smash-up at South Trunk Road, Mosquito Creek, La Romaine last Saturday.
Barnwell expressed his sympathies to the families when he appeared before Magistrate Indira Misir-Hosein in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court yesterday to answer five charges of causing death by dangerous driving. Corporal Vijay Ramdhanie laid the charges.
Barnwell sent the message through his attorney Ramesh Deena who told the court his client asked that his “condolences be sent to the families of the accident victims.” None of the victims’ relatives were in court to hear this, however.
Police officers walked Barnwell, who is from Fyzabad, from the San Fernando Police Station across the street to the traffic court at about 9.30 am. Barnwell sat quietly inside the court, but often looked behind him at two women who sat in the public gallery, one of them was a relative. He swayed from side to side with his hands clasped tightly behind his back.
Then Magistrate Misir-Hosein read each of the charges, which alleged that last Saturday, Barnwell dangerously drove a truck, licensed TBA 3664, along the South Trunk Road, La Romaine and caused the deaths of Rajesh Ramnarine, 37, Sachin Maharaj, nine, Sachin Singh, 12, Rajkumar Deonarine, 15, and Rishi Ramlogan, 22.
The five victims and 14 others were passengers in a panel van and were on their way to the Balls of Fire cricket and football charity match in Port-of-Spain.
Sgt Arnold Lutchman informed the court that he represented the police and was sitting in on the case to observe the proceedings and to take notes.
After this, Barnwell’s attorney rose and told the magistrate that he and his client were offering their condolences to the victims’ families.
“Despite the national attention he got due to the incident which occurred on Saturday, he has been treated with respect by police officers and family members which he is grateful for,” Deena said.
Barnwell has been a truck driver for the past 40 years and worked for Junior Sammy Contractors Ltd for the last five years, Deena told the court. He also said his client had no pending matters and his only conviction was an obscene language charge which arose out of the accident last Saturday for which he has been placed on a bond.
“For 40 years he had remained free from any infraction of the law,” Deena added.
He said Barnwell has been experiencing pains and headaches and has a medical problem which he wished to keep private. “He wants the opportunity to see his private doctor as early as possible,” Deena said.
Barnwell has four children, 12 grandchildren and two great grandchildren and was not a flight risk, said the attorney.
Prosecutor PC Ramdath Phillip agreed that Barnwell had been cooperative with the police. Barnwell was taken into custody last Saturday, and was released after he was bonded on the obscene language charge but was re-arrested on Wednesday night and charged with the five counts of causing death by dangerous driving, Phillip said.
Misir-Hosein first asked, “(Was) it five persons who died in this accident?”, before she granted Barnwell bail of $500,000 to cover all of the charges. Deena asked Misir-Hosein to reduce the sum by half but she turned him down and advised that Barnwell could apply to a judge to have the bail adjusted. Barnwell, who faces 15 years in prison for each charge, will reappear in court on August, 28.
But up to late yesterday, his relatives were unable to post his bail and he was taken to Remand Yard at the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca with other prisoners.
