Hilroy ‘Mister B’ Byam was sentenced to one year in prison Tuesday for causing the death of Conroy Jeffery in 2015.
The incident happened on Jonas Road in the wee hours of the morning as Byam was transporting a house on a tractor.
The court heard, there was no illumination on the house and this led to a collision with Jeffery who was driving in the opposite direction.
The judge said he ordered the prison sentence since Byam continued driving after the crash and also ordered his assistants to discard evidence of the crash.
Byam was also ordered to pay $60,000 in compensation to the victim’s family.
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It’s very unfortunate. A man is dead, another in prison, families shattered.
But I do hope that this serves as a lesson to all. We live in a society where, whether we know it or not, we are all each other’s keeper.
We can continue and should not run out daily lives without thinking how it will affect another person.
It was a big mistake, a serious lapse in judgment, to transport a structure like that, in the dead of night with poor illumination. Moreso in areas Where there’s poor road conditions or lighting.
Where is the justice for ANDREA HUGHES and her family??? I believe ANDREA HUGHES was struck down and met her untimely death wayyyy before this incident with Mister B. What is taking so long?? What happened to “Justice delayed = Justice denied?”
ANDREA HUGHES is crying out from beyond the grave
ANDREA HUGHES is crying out from beyond the grave
ANDREA HUGHES is crying out from beyond the grave
JUSTICE FOR ANDREA HUGHES
ITS TIME TO START A CAMPAIGN AND BRING PRESSURETO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE..,.
JUSTICE FOR ANDREA HUGHES
“Ah yah me barne” … foolish saying which makes people think that they can do anything they want and not follow the laws of the land simply because they’re Antiguan…
Jumbie know who to frighten. What about the case for Andrea Hughes?
PUNITIVELY RECKLESS OR TRAVESTY?
Let us all hope that the reporter got it right when he/she writes;
‘…The Judge said he ordered the prison sentence since Byam continued to drive after the crash….[Para. 4].
If the accused did drive, that would have been a law enforcement matter for the Traffic Commissioner who had suspended his Driver’s Licence [Section 70: Vehicles and Road Traffic Act: Chapter
460];
One may still give the Judge the ‘…benefit of the doubt.’
However, if such comment is attributed to the presiding Judge, then it would have been ‘…Punitively Reckless,’ in dishing out punishment for that which was never at Bar and/or under the verdict of the Jury.
It is to be noted that;
(i) …the accused was not before the Court for ‘…Driving after a Crash;’ and
(iii) …If evidence of ‘…Driving after the crash’ was led before the Jury, defence Counsel would
have fallen asleep not to have immediately raised objections as to its inadmissibility.
Leading such evidence and leaving it to admissibility seems unlikely.
Now, it begs the question, ‘…Who informed the Judge that the accused had been driving after the crash?’
Do not know what the Summation entailed, but sure that the trial Judge had not ventured to allude to such driving. But it may have suggested a ‘…pre-determined punishment’ even before the trial was over.
No denying that a man has met his demise ‘…through unsuspecting danger posed by the accused,’ but the statement attributed to the Judge would be good ground to appeal the ‘…severity of sentence.’
Rawlston Pompey …..I agree. And to top it all off, a life was taking from his children and love ones. Crushed and leave to suffer from the wee hours of the morning to bright day-light. And all the driver got is 1 year in prison? And on top of that continued he continued to drive after the crash.
If someone caught with drugs they keep them in prison on pending case(s). Really now….where is the justice in our island. ..Let us listen to hear about Andrea Hughes!!!!
Hmmm Smh
You are right. The presiding seemed to have placed judicial focus on what the accused may have done after he had ‘..caused the loss of life of a man.’
If the deceased was alive and the accused had driven away from the scene of the accident leaving him to die, that would have been considered ‘…an aggravating factor.’
With this factor, Judges often ‘…dropped the gavel on the driver.’
If a man was seen stealing Obsti’s pig and he ran away, is a Judge to say to the defendant ‘…I am ordering jail time because you ran or because he STOLE the pig?’
ANDREA HUGHES
As it relates to ‘…Andrea Hughes,’ civil proceedings by the driver that the Coroner’s Jury has attributed ‘…culpability for her death’ has halted the prosecutorial process.
The culpable driver, guided by his attorney, has challenged an apparent ‘…flaw in the law.’
The flaw word is ‘…guilty’ [Section 25 (4): Coroner’s Act: Chapter 105].
In fact the Coroner’s Court is not one for ‘…criminal trials.’ It is purely inquisitory as to the circumstances surrounding the death of a person.
Simply put ‘…how a person came to his/her death.’
Do not wish to be speculative, but reasonable inferences can be drawn that somehow and by some person/s, the Judiciary is being manipulated.
The Court is supposed to be the ‘…Bastion of Hope.’
Moreover, those that sit as Judges and those that represent the interests of clients, know the legal maxim ‘…Justice delayed is justice denied.’
For the ‘…resourced people,’ strategic practice dictates that all options shall be considered and mounted one after the other.
Such strategy is the same for ‘… well resourced fugitives from justice.’
Unfortunately, those with negligible or no resource, are often made to suffer long delays.
” For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
NOTHING is hidden from the Most High. Not even the dealings in Hiram Abiff house. PRAYER is the most powerful force on Earth. JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL FOR ANDREA HUGHES in JESUS NAME Amen!!!
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