Driver freed in woman’s death

Investigating officers of a vehicular accident which claimed the life of a Belmont woman seven years ago, were yesterday chastised by Coroner Rajendra Rambachan for the poor manner in which investigations were conducted into the incident. Coroner Rambachan presided over the inquest into the death of 42-year-old Sharon Gordon of Albert Lane in Belmont, who was knocked down and killed on September 17, 1997, when a car driven by 28-year-old salesman, Nigel Lutchman, ran into her. The incident occurred on the Lady Young Road in the vicinity of the Hilton Trinidad. After six months of hearing the testimonies of the four main witnesses, including the driver, Coroner Rambachan yesterday ruled there was no ground to charge anyone with an indictable offence.

“In my view this was probably the worst ever investigation of a fatal road accident I have met in my relatively short career, and I cannot make a case for charging someone out of nothing, notwithstanding how disappointed I am that the diary I summoned from the Belmont Police Station cannot be found,” said the Coroner. Rambachan said his ruling resulted in the lack of evidence presented before the court by the police officers who investigated the accident. Referring to the testimony of investigating officer PC Ronald Singh, the Coroner said, “PC Singh denies entirely in the evidence that Mr Lutchman ever told him that he lost control of the vehicle and skidded. He also affirmed himself to never writing that down anywhere. This means that PC Singh cannot be treated as an adverse witness in any inquiry as there is no written statement from him to the effect that Lutchman ever told him that he lost control and skidded.”

Contrary to PC Singh’s testimony was the testimony of retired Cpl Majorie Beepatsingh who, according to the Coroner, changed her testimony several times while giving evidence during the inquest. Reading from the evidence recorded, Coroner Rambachan said, “In the first regard, Beepatsingh tells us that Lutchman admitted that he skidded and lost control when the accident occurred. Then she went on to say that this was what PC Singh told her, something which PC Singh constantly denied. Then she changed it to that she was actually there when it was said. Then she changed it again to the following formula —  ‘I think I got that knowledge from Singh.’

“At this point I must mention my overwhelming sadness of the standard of the investigation. This was just an absolute morass of evidence.” Speaking to Newsday after the ruling, a relieved Lutchman said although he was a free man, he just wanted the relatives to know that justice had in fact been served. “It’s been seven years now and since the matter began I’ve been here at court and it was no easy thing. That in itself was very hard. I am deeply sorry for their loss and I express my heartfelt condolences.” Lutchman was represented by attorney Keith Scotland, who argued that there was no evidence to charge his client for the offence.