Guilty of causing death by dangerous driving

A 53-YEAR-OLD secondary school teacher yesterday placed herself at the mercy of the court and could face up to 15 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to driving dangerously  two years ago, causing the death of a 23-year-old man. The accused, Danae Persad, has not driven a vehicle since the day the car she was driving struck Ed Pharai, of Cedar Hill, Princes Town. Persad was brought before the San Fernando Second Court,  was presided over by Justice Prakash Moosai. Her attorney Prakash Ramadhar, said the accused, a Home Economics teacher at the San Fernando East Junior Secondary School, had expressed the greatest remorse to the family of the deceased and will not contest any action for compensation. The incident occurred on the morning of  September 5, 2001, after Persad had just driven away from her house on Solomon Street, Princes Town. The court heard that while steering to avoid a parked vehicle, Persad swerved to the right into an open yard where she struck Pharai, who was awaiting transportation. In mitigation, Ramadhar said the accident happened in a moment of panic. “This is a case where every person is a loser and has suffered greatly,” he said. Ramadhar told the court that prior to the incident, Persad had been driving since 1974 and had not been involved in any accident nor prosecuted for any traffic offence. The defence attorney said his client had several testimonials to support her good character from the Chairman of the Princes Town Regional Corporation, Naparima Member of Parliament Nizam Baksh, former government Minister Ralph Maraj, as well as from religious leaders. The prosecutor Brahmanand Dubay said the State recognises the absence of any aggravating circumstances, and would not be disagreeable with a non-custodial sentence. Persad will be sentenced before Justice Moosai today.