A police inspector with over 30 years experience has been released on $200,000 bail after appearing in court yesterday charged with causing the death of an 80-year-old pensioner by dangerous driving.
Insp Wayne Baptiste stood silently in the prisoner enclosure of the court and was not called upon to plead to the charge when he was brought before Magistrate Gillian David-Scotland in the Tunapuna First Magistrates Court.
Baptiste, who was last assigned to the Rapid Response Unit (RRU), is accused of causing Herrold Lassey's death by knocking him down while he (Lassey) was crossing the Priority Bus Route on March 21.
Lassey never recovered from his injuries and died at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope on June 10.
The charge that was read in court did not indicate whether Baptiste was on duty at the time of the accident but said a police vehicle was involved in the crash that led to Lassey's death.
During the brief hearing, David-Scotland certified the bail of Baptiste granted by a Justice of the Peace at the Arouca Police Station on Thursday night.
His lawyer, Sean Cazabon, requested that an attorney from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions be appointed quickly to prosecute the case as his client was anxious to have the case completed so he could return to his job. He also requested that the State disclose all evidence it had against his client so he could start to prepare his defence.
Baptiste will reappear in court on January 27.