Englishman Miles O'Connor was yesterday identified in court as the driver of a vehicle which collided with a maxi-taxi at the intersection of the Priority Bus Route and Morvant Junction. O'Connor, of Hertfordshire, England, is before Justice Hayden St Clair-Douglas in the Port-of-Spain Sixth Criminal Court, accused of causing the death of Dhanmattie Harrilal by driving dangerously. Harrilal, 38, was a passenger in the maxi-taxi. "He is sitting right there," music teacher Kerry Cyrus said as he pointed to O'Connor who was seated in the prison dock.
It was on Christmas Day, 2003, Cyrus, of Tobago, testified, that the maxi-taxi he was seated in stopped at the intersection where he dropped off. He said the traffic light facing the maxi-taxi was on "red" and he crossed in front the vehicle and had almost reached the other side of the road when he saw a blue Mitsubishi Lancer drive across. "Well, what I saw was the blue car was at the middle of the road and the maxi- taxi hit that car and started to flip," he said. He said at that time, he did not know what colour the lights had been on.
During cross-examination by defence attorney Israel Khan, SC, however, Cyrus said while he was crossing the bus route, he saw the traffic light on red and the blue Mitsubishi Lancer driving south from the Morvant Junction. He told Khan it was just seconds after that the collision occurred. Khan is instructed by Ravi Rajcoomar. Also yesterday, Vilma Fields-Joseph told the court her husband had died six years after the accident. A "testimony from the grave" followed as the deposition of maxi-taxi driver Oscar Joseph was read into evidence.
Joseph had given a statement to police that he stopped at the red light at the intersection. Seconds later, as the light turned green and he was about to pull off, the accident took place between the car and the maxi-taxi heading east, Joseph testified. Insp Seemungal Rampersad, who was stationed at the Barataria Police Station, was recalled for cross-examination. The State is expected to close its case today with the evidence of Sgt Carol Hickson. Anju Bhola is prosecuting.