Man accused of causing death of Reonol Williams gets $1.8M bail
Daniel Melbourne, 53, who is accused of causing the death of 50-year-old Reonol Williams, was granted $1.8 million in bail on Friday last after making another court appearance.
On June 10, Melbourne, a father of three, was slapped with a slew of traffic offences and remanded to prison by Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.
He was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, failure to report an accident, failure to render assistance after an accident, failure to produce a vehicle for examination, giving false information to the police, and attempting to obstruct the course of justice.
When the matter was called last week, the accused’s lawyer, Patrice Henry, renewed an application for reasonable bail, which the Magistrate granted, totalling $1.8 million. The matter was adjourned to October 28.
On May 23, Williams, a construction worker of Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was struck down by motor vehicle PAB 2552 while exiting a taxi.
After the accident, a witness said the driver of the vehicle offered to take the victim to the hospital for medical treatment but did not.
Initially, Melbourne was arrested and told investigators that he was in the Interior when the accident occurred, and his cousin, he only referred to as “Boy,” stole his car from his yard. He was later released.
Williams’ family started to search for him, and after the story gained media traction, the Major Crimes Unit stepped in and, within hours, re-arrested Melbourne.
He then led investigators to a body at Coldingen, ECD, and while it is suspected that it might be that of Williams, a DNA sample was sent overseas to confirm it was the construction worker.
