6 testify — inquiry nearing end

THE preliminary inquiry into motor manslaughter charges laid against English university student Miles O’Connor is nearing completion. Six witnesses testified for the prosecution yesterday before Magistrate Gillian David in the Port-of-Spain Seventh Magistrates’ Court. There are just two more witnesses expected to give their evidence when the inquiry resumes on December 13. O’Connor, 24, is charged with driving motor vehicle PBE 3413 in a dangerous manner on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway Extension, Morvant, on December 25, 2003, causing the deaths of Venezuelan Jose Alexis Gonzalez Berbesi and Dhanmattie Harrilal.

Karl Hudson-Phillips QC and Ravi Rajkumar appeared for O’Connor, while Cpl Edwin Addison, of the Court of Process Branch, prosecuted. The first witness to give evidence yesterday was Kerry Cyrus, of D’Abadie, who was a passenger in a maxi taxi on the day of the crash. Another passenger of the maxi taxi was Angela Alvarez, a housewife of Febeau Village, San Juan. Four policemen also gave evidence yesterday — Cpl Seemungal Rampersad, of the Barataria Police Station; PC Roger Grant, photographer; PC Rockey Rakjumar, of the Morvant Police Station; and PC Damien Richards, of the Barataria Police Station.