The mother of a soldier who was killed after being struck by a driver while changing a flat tyre yesterday said a jail sentence would not be the suitable for the driver. State prosecutor Jennifer Martin, mother of soldier Private Sean Martin, made the statement during the sentencing exercise of fellow soldier, Dario Pran, before Justice Hayden St Clair-Douglas in the Port-of-Spain Sixth Criminal Court. Martin was killed on October 12, 2008, on the Priority Bus Route, Mt Lambert, while changing a tyre. It was alleged that Pran was the driver of the vehicle, which belonged to his brother. Martin said: "I don't think a custodial sentence will be right for Pran in this case. He was very young at the time of the accident.
"I agree that what he did was wrong but I just want everyone to get on with their lives." She said Pran's guilty plea brought some level of closure to her family. On Wednesday, Pran, 22, of Best Street, Tacarigua, pleaded guilty to the offence of causing the death of Martin by dangerous driving, after his attorneys arranged a plea agreement with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that they said would be beneficial to both parties. The plea agreement was made under the Criminal Procedure (Plea Discussion and Plea Agreement) Act which required Martin, a family member, to share views on the agreement.
In his mitigation plea, Pran's lawyer, Daniel Khan, told the court his client was deeply remorseful for the incident which Khan said still gave him nightmares. Khan said since the accident Pran had not been able to drive and had completed a defensive driving course since he recognised at the time of the accident, he was an inexperienced driver. Pran was also represented by Senior Counsel Israel Khan, while attorneys George Busby and Anuj Bhola prosecuted the matter. The matter was adjourned to today when St Clair-Douglas is expected to pass sentence on Pran.
