Coroner’s Inquest of Rock Gutter incident adjourned until November 3

Thirty persons have testified in the Coroner’s Inquest into the road traffic incident at Rock Gutter that claimed the lives of seven young persons in January, this year.

The Inquest will resume on November 3, when Coroner Rickie Burnett will give a summation of the evidence before the jury, who will then deliberate on the matter{{more}} and come to a decision as to the manner and cause of the deaths of the teenagers.

On Wednesday, the five-member jury visited the scene of the accident, travelling from where the bus departed in Fancy to Rock Gutter where the journey ended.

The hearing of the matter began on October 5, at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Some of the persons who gave testimony included secondary school students who survived when the minibus ran off the road and plunged into the sea on January 12, 2015, near to Owia, on the north eastern coast.

The media has been barred from sitting in and reporting on the proceedings.

Coroner Burnett explained that he excluded the media because the persons testifying were juveniles and he wanted to make them as comfortable as possible, given that they were still grieving. He also said he did not want the evidence given during testimony at the inquest to be published at this stage, in case the matter has to go forward to the High Court for trial.

Burnett further stated that in any event, according to Section 25 of the Coroner’s Act, the inquest shall not be deemed an open court, but could be opened at the coroner’s discretion.