-duo held after witnesses come forward
The body of Leroy Bobb was dumped on the Turkeyen Public Road, on the East Coast of Demerara by minibus operators after they ran him over in the city on Saturday.
A driver and conductor have since been taken into custody after eyewitnesses to the accident alerted police, who had been investigating the discovery of Bobb’s mangled remains. The body of Bobb, 70, of New Market Street, in the city, was found on Sunday morning and was later transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where it remained unidentified until the next day when relatives recognised it in a television newscast.
Leroy Bobb
An eyewitness to the accident, who declined to be named, told Stabroek News that he also saw the newscast and recognised the clothes Bobb was wearing as belonging to those of a man who was hit at the corner of Wellington Street and North Road on Saturday evening.
Relatives had questioned the discovery of the body in Turkeyen, saying that as far as they knew he knew no one in that area. He usually spent his days at a location on Orange Walk and by early evening would make his way home.
From all indications the man was doing just that when he was struck by the bus as he was crossing the road. Bobb’s body had injuries to his head and his feet appeared to have been broken. An autopsy is expected to be performed on Friday.
The witness, who contacted Stabroek News yesterday, said that Bobb was knocked down in the city and he was shocked to learn that the bus driver and conductor picked up the man and dumped him in Turkeyen. Crime Chief Seelall Persaud confirmed that the police had received such reports and that the suspects in the incident were arrested. The Route 44 minibus, which operates from Plaisance to Georgetown, was also impounded.
The witness contacted the police and reported what he had seen but he did not wish to give a statement. He did, however, inform the force about where the accident had happened and that many other persons had witnessed the incident.
This newspaper understands that a man who was sitting outside of a shop at the corner where the accident happened witnessed the entire incident and has since given a statement to the police. Stabroek News has learnt that the driver and conductor have denied knocking down Bobb, though they did admit being involved in an accident with a man whose whereabouts they said is unknown to them.
However, Stabroek News was told that when the two were picked up and the bus impounded there was evidence that indicated attempts were made to wash blood stains from the vehicle.
‘Blue and
white shirt’
According to the witness, the accident occurred just after 6 pm. He said he was with a group of persons waiting to cross the road when he observed the elderly Bobb making an attempt to cross North Road. Bobb hesitated but then continued to cross at which point the bus hit him. “This mini bus was coming at a fast rate and it was overtaking another bus and that wasn’t supposed to be. This guy couldn’t do nothing. He continued crossing and he was hit and the bus drag he body a good way before it stopped,” the witness said.
He said he ran to where the bus stopped and he observed that the bus, which was white in colour with red stripes, had passengers. They soon exited and the driver and conductor came out and went to the injured man. The eye witness said he and others told them to take the injured man to the hospital. “To be honest they put the man in the bus and he looked limp. But I say they will take to the hospital so I didn’t bother to take the bus number. I would have never imagine that them man would take the man and dump he body,” the man added.
Words failed him when he recognised Bobb by the blue and white shirt he was wearing during a TV newscast. Bobb was also wearing a pair of Timberland boots at the time and this also assisted the eye witness in recognising him from the television report. He immediately contacted the police and gave them the information. He was, however, reluctant to give his name as he was not willing to go to court and testify. The man said he knew by alerting the lawmen they would find other eye witnesses who would give statements on record.
When Stabroek News visited the scene of the accident there was a long mark at the corner of the road which persons in the area said was the trail Bobb’s body left after being dragged by the minibus. A woman in the area said when she first heard the impact she thought a dog had been hit. It was only when she observed persons running to the scene of the accident that she realised it was a man who was knocked down.
While she did not see the accident, she did see the mini bus driver and conductor lifting the man by his shoulders, putting him to rest next to the bus. She said persons had to urge them to take the man to the hospital and when they left with the man persons were hoping that the man would have survived. “I think about it that night and I was hoping that he mek it but it look like he did done dead when dem put he in the bus,” the woman said.
The woman operates a business in the area and she said on Sunday and even Monday she was surprised that no police officer visited the area to conduct investigations. “I say the police woulda come and take marking and talk to people but none ain’t come until today,” the woman said. She said she was even telling a friend on Sunday that she hoped the man had pulled through but it was only on Monday she received some information that the man’s body was dumped. She said while she did not see the body on television from the clothes described to her she knew it was the man. “How dem could do duh to the man dem treat he worse than a dog,” the woman lamented yesterday. She said police visited the area yesterday and took statements and the man who witnessed the incident had gone down to the station to give one.
‘Angry’
Meanwhile, Bobb’s relatives were angry at the revelation that his body had been dumped after the accident. They feel that the man was on his way home when he was struck down, since he was never someone to stay out of his home. “We deh wondering how he end up till at Turkeyen because he ent know nobody there as far as we know and now we here this,” one of Bobb’s nieces said yesterday. The family had told Stabroek News on Monday that Bobb had told them he had seen an overseas-based friend on Friday night who had bought him some beers and had invited him back out on Saturday. They assumed that the man went to meet his friend and after his body was found at Turkeyen they felt maybe his friend was staying somewhere in that area. “But imagine me uncle was coming home and dem knock he down and den dump he body, who is dem boy?” one relative asked yesterday.
While they were speaking with Stabroek News, police visited the home with the two suspects in the vehicle and many relatives went to the car to get a glimpse of the man. “You dump me uncle body boy who is you all? You all couldn’t tek he to the hospital?” a niece asked the suspects while they were in the car. The men turned their faces when the question was posed to them.
The relatives are of the belief that when the men realised that Bobb had died they drove around with him in the minibus and probably waited until it was late in the night before discreetly dumping his body. They hope that the two men would be brought to justice.
these two should be charge with murder annd if found gilty they both should get 25 to life this will set an example to all driver when there is an accident do not leave the seen or notify some one if you have to take the person to the hospital.
life means nothing to them, “WHAT HAPPEN TO HUMANITY”
Freespeech
“What happened?” I think the crime spree that began a little less than a decade ago has caused many Guyanese to grow accustomed to the barbarity. We’ve had entire families that were wiped out by gunmen even when their demands were met. Some people showed concerns when these past, gruesome incidents took place while others made their disconcern very clear.
Today ALL are feeling the effects of the cruelty that began years ago; uncompassionate actions/behavior seems to be thriving more than any other movement set forth in Guyana.
Look folks, Guyana is home but it’s sure not ours no more, and I don’t think that anybody at home knows where to start to reverse this rush to oblivion. Guyana is rapidly becoming a place, where folks in the diaspora will want to forget because no childhood memory will ever be real or feel like home again.
sickening, real sickening.
They treated him like a dog. May his soul rest in peace.
Two of my dogs died, at different times, due to natural causes.
I put them in garbage bags, took them to the GSPCA, made a donation to the society, and they took care of the disposals.
Humane treatment to animals.
Mini-bus drivers and their conductors???
What they did to this human being!!
This man is a father,grand-father,uncle,brother,husband,friend.
How in the world can these “mini-bus gods” decide that his life, death, are at their whims and fancies??
oh boy this is something else very very sad story. these mini bus driver and conductor think they own the road, this murder and nothing else but murder jail them for the rest of the life. this old man didn’t deserve to die like this. (very upset about this rightnow)
Murderers! How many times haven’t bodies been found all over the place? This might be a regular practice of careless drivers who knock people down,GPF,please take serious note of this incident,hope this will make you use your heads more in your fight against crime,people are doing things nowadays in Guyana that we couldn’t even dream of in the past,sympathies to his family!
The saying goes ….anything goes in Guyana education governs everything from the police to tout.
Jail them double the time.The driver six years minimum and conductor four years.They are both heartless criminals.
brown they need 15 years minimum they are heartless mother fak ers
ONLY 6 YRS.? WHAT IF IT WAS YOUR FATHER? IT BECOMES MURDER AFTER THEY DUMP THE BODY.
THERE IS DEFINITELY A BREAK DOWN OF LAW AND ORDER IN GUYANA.
I am happy that someone reported what they saw to the police. I hope this brings some closure to the family. But while reading this article, what dawned on me was the level of backwardness and poor thinking, that exists in some sections of the Guyanese popupation. No wonder the PPP government can get away with so much nonsense. On this, my birth date, I weep for my country. So much knowledge. So much ignorance.
happy birthday dog enjoy your day and stop stress that place as much i love there its the same bull everyday
It’s laughable how you link this with the PPP government.It is quite a leap don’t you think? By the way, Happy Birthday!
DD happie bday…dont teck worries…yuh rite to link pee pee pee to this…where is burnham wen we need him? under burnman public transport where horses were pullin busses this would never happen…ehehehehe…how yuh like dat pee nc link?
… happy birthday, d-d… enjoy life where you are … btw, i remember an itinerant mendicant in rht used to be called d-d … all you had to shout was ‘DI’! and he would turn the air blue…
Happy Bday DDog, you should not open your PC today.
Evil eyes, those horses pulling old buses were called tanden, and you’re right at those speed no one would of been killed.
Like they want it back TANDEM.
According to the eye witness it looks like an accident, altough the man may have died on the way to the hospital, still take him there, don’t take and dump his body like an animal, it looks like they are guilty, anyhow if found guilty, they should be charged for murder.
How callous of the bus men to hit someone, leave the scene of the accident with said body and then dump body elsewhere. Thank God for those who came forward. They should be sentenced to life imprisonment for such a cowardly and reckless act!!!
I agree with you. The laws in terms of vehicular offences, including “Causing death by dangerous driving (commonly called ‘Motor Manslaughter’)must be re-written speedily. In ciminal law such an act is referred to as “reckless abandonment”. The law clearly states that the driver in an accident must either render assistance to the victim in getting medical attention, or otherwise remain at the scene of the accident until the police arrive. In minor situations the driver can leave the scene, but must report the accident within 24 hours. I echo your sentiments. Charge them with contributory manslaughter and reckless abandonment”. If convicted, impose a sentence of no less than 15 years on both driver and conductor. They have both aided and abetted each other in commissioning the crime.
These men taking into custody (not charged as yet) appear to be typical unsavoury characters from Guyana (and Barbados ) mini bus culture: disrecpect for the law inculding reckless driving and non- reporting of the accident.Probably half deaf too from the loud music.
As I said before, this mini bus system is archaic (using excessive gasoline fuel in many small engines for frequent stops) and non-friendly, uncomfortable and dangerous to commutor. It should be phased out with the introduction of publicly wwned system using larger buses like the Transport Board system in Barbados. Drivers would be properly trained (they have to take extensive tests), wear uniforms and issue tickets for fares paid. More importantly accidents would be reduced beause the drivers, being on wages, would not have to hustle and drive like maniacs to reach their rent money (they they have to pay the owner of the bus) before they start making for themselves.
Now, are we going to have the defence of the indefencible by people who gon holler ? “Lay off the poor lil man: they does help we get to wok pon mornin. Lookkee, they does stop anywheh to pick we up and does leh we listen to the news and weather on de radio.”
Reddy for once you say something constructive, maybe you can relate that to the relevant authorities and they might listen to you.
Yes reddy,like amen-ra said,tell your mates what you suggested here on this site,and lets see results!!
A crying shame at what these guys did after they killed the man. Very sad!