Taxi driver committed to stand trial for David Barclay’s death

May 14, 2021 News

Dead, David Barclay

Kaieteur News – Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, yesterday committed 29-year-old Kester Lewis, a taxi-driver to stand trial in the High Court for the killing of 29-year-old David Barclay, of Triumph, East Coast Demerara. Lewis is expected to go on trial in the High Court for murder at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara Assizes.
On Thursday December 31, 2020, Lewis made his first court appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for the offence. The charge alleges that on December 27, 2020 at D’Urban Street, Lodge, Georgetown, Lewis killed Barclay.
According to reports, Barclay was struck down and dragged by a motor car for some distance on D’Urban Street following a row over $700, with Lewis. The police in a statement had said that Barclay, had approached Lewis, who was believed to be a mechanic, to fix his vehicle after it encountered problems on D’Urban Street.
Kaieteur News had reported that Lewis’ lawyer had told the court, “the victim approached the suspect in a bid to have a tyre on his vehicle repaired and in the process of making a payment; an argument ensued over the said payment, during which the suspect took a knife and slashed a tyre on the victim’s car.”
In Lewis’ statement to the police, he said that after the argument, he jumped into his vehicle and while driving off, Barclay jumped onto the right side door and held onto him, causing him to lose control and he crashed into several vehicles that were parked. However, new details had emerged stating that Lewis was operating as a taxi driver that morning and took Barclay home for a spare tyre and upon returning to D’Urban Street with the spare tyre, Lewis requested $4,000 for the fare. Barclay gave him $5,000. However, Lewis claimed he did not have change. Barclay then gave him $3,300 and an outburst over the short money began.
Further, it was stated that Barclay then went to his car where he had left his child’s mother to find more change and Lewis took out a knife and slashed the spare tyre, which led to a heated argument between the two. Lewis then got into his car and when Barclay attempted to snatch him from the window, Lewis held on to Barclay and drove into five cars that were parked. Video footage seen by this newspaper showed Barclay’s child mother holding his motionless body, screaming for help.

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