Park Hill man acquitted on causing death by dangerous driving charge

FOLLOWING A no case submission by his lawyer Ronnie Marks, a young man of Park Hill has been acquitted on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

Adonson DaSouza was 25 years old when he was charged with the December 27, 2017 incident that resulted in the death of 50-year-old Byrea resident, Crispin Augustus John. John had succumbed to injuries caused when his bicycle collided with motor vehicle PN-854, being driven by DaSouza.

According to witness accounts, it was some minutes to nine in the night when DaSouza was travelling along the Byrea public road. In one account he was driving at a moderate speed, while another suggests he was driving at a faster pace. John was riding a red pedal cycle out of an exit road, travelling from the direction of a chicken shop onto the windward highway. Although someone is said to have shouted to the cyclist to stop, he continued crossing the road and collided with the black car. The force is said to have sent the cyclist into the air before he fell to the ground not far from his bicycle. The driver of the car

stopped a short distance away. He also apparently attempted to hold the injured man’s neck in a stable position. The trial was conducted this week at the High Court. In his no case submission Marks emphasized the physical evidence of the damage to his client’s vehicle, which was to the side and not the front. Additionally, despite the evidence of the witness who stated that the vehicle was travelling at a fast speed, the lawyer cited several legal authorities to show that speed alone is not sufficient.

The prosecutor was constrained to concede, and Justice Brian Cottle directed the jury to find DaSouza not guilty.

He walked out of the courtroom on Tuesday morning a free man.