Court hears of how 2 died on the Beetham

POLICE CPL Terrance LeBlanc told the court yesterday that the accused had admitted to driving the Nissan Sunny on the day it crashed into and killed two pedestrians on the Beetham Highway in February 2002. However, LeBlanc said that Ian Palmer Williams claimed that he did not remember the accident nor hitting anyone with the vehicle. These statements form part of LeBlanc’s testimony in the trial in which Cocorite resident Ian Palmer Williams appeared before Justice Ivor Archie charged with vehicular manslaughter. The facts presented by State attorney Kathy-Ann Waterman-Latchoo were that around 5 am on February 20, 2002, Williams was driving his car along the Beetham Highway heading to Port-of-Spain. She explained that Williams was driving in the middle lane of the highway when he tried to overtake a truck on the right. There was a car in front of him, so he swung onto the left lane and struck two people who were walking along the shoulder of the highway.  The two people — Dalton Raymond, 71, and his teenaged son Christopher — were killed on the spot. One hour later, the police found Williams’ car parked in front of his Western Main Road, Cocorite home, with damage to the front windscreen and bonnet. Two officers confronted Williams, who claimed that he was drinking with some friends at the Attic Club when his vehicle was stolen. Some time later, Williams gave a different version of what had happened. 

Waterman-Latchoo told the nine-member jury that they will not hear anyone testify to seeing Williams behind the wheel of the car at the time of the accident. However, she advised them to listen to the evidence presented and to draw their own conclusion from the evidence that the State was going to lead. LeBlanc, one of five witnesses to testify for the day, explained that around 7.15 am on February 20, 2002, he was stationed at the accident section of the Police Traffic Branch, Port-of-Spain, when PC Huggins brought Williams to the station. He identified himself and informed Williams about the report. He then cautioned Williams who responded that he was liming and drinking at the Attic Club when someone took the keys for his car. Williams said he then went to visit his sister. LeBlanc took Williams to the station’s parking lot, where he observed that the entire front windscreen and bonnet of the vehicle were damaged. They went back into the station and Williams admitted that he was driving the car, but claimed that he could not remember hitting anyone. Williams also told the officer that he remembers the car stalling on the road and walking home. There he met two officers who took him to another police station and then to traffic branch. LeBlanc said he then took Williams home to collect the documents for the car. While there, Williams made several phone calls and took some medication. After this he joined Cpl Bedeau at the westbound lane of the Beetham Highway and handed Williams over to him.