Soldier dies after motorbike crashes at Stanleytown

A lance corporal in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) died on Sunday evening after he reportedly lost control of the motor bike he was riding on the West Bank Demerara (WBD) Public Road and ended up in a trench.

Commander of Division Balram Persaud told Stabroek News yesterday morning that Terrence McAllister of 76 Princes Street, Lodge died some time after 6 pm on Sunday after he was pulled out of the trench by persons in the Stanleytown area.

Terrence McAllister

Persaud said McAllister was riding his motor bike at a fast rate and as he attempted to cross the bridge at Belle View, Stanleytown, he rode into the wall, lost control and toppled into the trench.

“Persons in the area heard what happened and pulled him out of the trench but he was pronounced dead on arrival at the West Demerara Hospital,” Persaud said.

According to a brother of the 23-year-old man, who is also a member of the (GDF), the last time he saw his brother was on Sunday. Mark Mc Allister said he Terrence and a younger brother lived with their aunt Jean Bacchus, the widow of Shafeek Bacchus who was allegedly murdered by death squad members.  Mark Mc Allister said when he left home on Sunday, his brother was at home.

However, when he returned he was told by his younger brother that Terrence had gone across the Demerara River to visit a friend. Terrence called his brother around 5 pm and indicated that he was heading home but hours later the young man had not returned. Mark said at around 9 pm a staff sergeant in the GDF visited the home and informed that the young man was involved in accident and that the family should visit the hospital.

“When I get there my brother was just lying there with a lil piece a cloth over he face,” Mark McAllister said. “Imagine a big hospital like that don’t have a sheet to cover my brother.“

He also told Stabroek News that the pair of boots his brother was wearing, a wrist watch, a gold chain and money that was in his pocket were all missing.

“All was left in me brother pocket was three cough drop mints,” the young man said.

He said when they visited the scene of the accident his brother’s bike was laying on the road in pieces.

“If you see the bike is was like a skeleton, break up and den all over the place. We feel somebody hit the bike because me brother never use to speed he was a good rider. Me brother was a good man. . .,” the man said.

He said while their mother Norma Smith lives in Sophia and their father, Thomas Mc Allister, lives in the North West, the only parent the three brothers know is Jean Bacchus.

“She is like we bread winner, we does work yea but she is we bread winner we don’t know no other parent she is all we have…” the young man said.

Jean Bacchus herself has seen many tragedies befall her as her reputed husband, Shafeek Bacchus, was brutally gunned down and his brother, George Bacchus, later said that it was a case of mistaken identity as the killers were looking for him. Bacchus had then made some explosive revelations about the existence of a death squad, which he said he was a part of, and he implicated many including former minister of home affairs Ronald Gajraj. George Bacchus himself was later shot dead in his bed at the said 76 Princes Street address.