A Lodge, Georgetown man who admitted to multiple traffic violations, was remanded to prison on Tuesday after the court learned that a pedestrian had been injured in the accident he caused.
Greg Gaskin, 40, of Princess Street, Lodge, Georgetown, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where he faced five charges linked to an incident on January 10, on Lombard Street. He pleaded guilty to four of the five charges and was denied bail on the most serious offence, dangerous driving.
Gaskin was accused of taking minibus BYY 9767 without the owner’s permission, driving without a licence, failing to report the accident, driving without insurance, and operating the vehicle in a dangerous manner.
He only denied taking the vehicle without consent, stating in court that he had been allowed to use the bus. He admitted to driving without a licence and said he had occasionally driven the vehicle around the park area. He also admitted to the accident and confirmed he had not reported it within the required 24-hour period.
The court heard that the crash caused significant damage to both the minibus and another vehicle. Gaskin told the Magistrate he had already fixed the car involved and intended to repair the minibus. However, the bus owner told the court that Gaskin had made empty promises for months and had not paid any money towards the repairs, which he estimated would cost over $500,000.
He explained that his vehicle had been parked at the workshop since January and that he was forced to work using a borrowed bus.
Though Gaskin claimed he was willing to pay and had spoken to the man about reaching a payment agreement, the bus owner said the talks led nowhere because Gaskin never produced money to make the agreement official.
The Magistrate questioned Gaskin about whether he had made any payments since the crash, and he admitted he had not, citing financial struggles and family responsibilities.
The prosecution then revealed that a pedestrian had also been injured in the crash, prompting the magistrate to deny bail on the dangerous driving charge and order that further checks be made regarding the injured party.
Gaskin was fined $30,000 for driving without a licence and granted bail for the remaining three charges: $20,000 for taking the vehicle without consent, $30,000 for failing to report the accident, and $40,000 for breach of insurance.
However, he was remanded to prison on the charge of dangerous driving and is expected to return to court on July 21.
