By Latrishka Thomas
A serious accident that caused one fatality has landed one man at the mercy of the law where he could now face up to five years’ imprisonment.
On October 23, two students at the American University of Antigua (AUA) were reportedly crossing Friars Hill Road in the wee hours of the morning when they were knocked down, allegedly by Karim Edwards, the husband of a local magistrate.
Twenty-one-year-old Kenneth Mathew, who suffered a severe brain injury, succumbed to his injuries on November 1, while his 19-year-old female companion Priyanjana Das suffered the loss of her right arm and fractures to her left arm and pelvis.
After turning himself in to the police, Edwards, a 45-year-old accountant, was later initially charged with dangerous driving, an offence which carries a maximum sentence upon conviction in the Magistrate’s Court of six months for a first-time offender or 12 months for a repeat offender, or two years on conviction in the High Court.
When Edwards first appeared in the St John’s Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Dexter Wason on October 27, he was granted bail in the sum of $20,000 with a $5,000 cash component.
He was ordered to surrender his travel documents, report to a nearby police station three days per week and present two Antiguan sureties.
Edwards’ driver’s licence was also suspended indefinitely.
But after the death of Mathew 10 days after the accident, the father-of-two was slapped with the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
Correspondingly, his bail was increased to $100,000 with a $20,000 cash component while all of the other conditions remained.
Now, since the new charge is indictable, the magistrate has to determine if there is sufficient evidence against him to refer his matter up to the higher court where he will appear before a judge.
His committal hearing is set for February 24.