Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 13/Aug 21:23

Soldier charged for Kiss driver’s road death on $150k bail

JALANI Mapp, the man charged with causing the death of a delivery driver and four other driving offences, has been granted $150,000 own bail. Mapp, 30, of Erica Street in Laventille, is a member of the Defence Force. On August 13, he faced a master, Margaret Sookraj-Goswami, virtually in the High Court, but was not called on to plead as the charges were laid indictably. As a condition of bail, he has to report to the Besson Street police station a day in the first week of every month between 6 am and 6 pm. Mapp was charged with causing the death of Kiss Baking Company driver Neil Ballai, 55, by dangerous driving, one count of dangerous driving, driving without an insurance certificate, failing to stop after an accident and failing to render aid. Ballai lived at Eccles Trace, Spring Village, in Valsayn. W/Cpl Hernandez-Cobbler, of the Central Division, laid the charges and Cpl Girwar prosecuted. Attorney Ian Brooks represented Mapp. The charges arose from the fatal crash on March 28 on the southbound lane of the Solomon Hochoy Highway in Couva at around 6.45 am. Ballai was driving one of the company's Isuzu trucks, with his co-worker, Terrence Jagessar, 34, in the passenger seat. Dashcam footage shows a black Hyundai Ioniq car hit the truck from behind. On impact, the truck veered off the road and crashed. Ballai died on the spot and his co-worker was injured. The car did not stop. Mapp later surrendered at the Freeport police station and was released without charge, pending further investigation. Last month, he was charged via summons under the amended Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act, 2011, also known as AJIPAA, proclaimed on December 12, 2023. This new legislation allows indictable cases to go straight to the High Court. In the past, such cases were heard at the magistrates' court, where a preliminary inquiry would determine if there was sufficient evidence to go to trial at the High Court. That process took years to complete, and removing the inquiries is intended to help clear the judicial system's backlog. A status hearing has been set for July 11, 2025. The post Soldier charged for Kiss driver’s road death on $150k bail appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.