A 20-year-old Tuschen East Bank Essequibo (EBE) resident has been remanded to prison after admitting to several traffic offences linked to a serious collision that left a police officer and his pregnant wife severely injured and resulted in the loss of their unborn child.
Ryan Rajkumar of Lot 897 Tuschen Housing Scheme appeared before Magistrate Alisha George at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to three charges under the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act and the Motor Vehicle Insurance (Third Party Risks) Act.
The charges included taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, driving without a licence, and operating a vehicle without the required insurance coverage.
The offences stem from a crash that occurred around 7:30 p.m. on June 14 along the Vergenoegen Public Road. Police said Rajkumar was driving minibus BAM 9180 when it became involved in a collision with motor car PNN 4060, which was being driven by Police Constable Leon Singh of Parika Facade.
Singh was accompanied by his wife, Kareena De Souza, who was pregnant at the time of the accident.
Both occupants of the car sustained serious injuries. Singh suffered a fractured leg and fractures to both hands, while De Souza sustained a broken leg. The injuries she received also resulted in the loss of her baby.
Following his guilty pleas, Rajkumar was fined $35,000 for taking the vehicle without the owner’s consent, $35,000 for driving without a licence, and $40,000 for breach of insurance.
The court also disqualified him from obtaining a driver’s licence for two years. He was subsequently remanded into police custody.
