WESTERN BUREAU — Darien Moulton, the truck driver who was charged with three counts of manslaughter after he slammed into a car of churchgoers Sunday evening, leaving three dead and five injured, was granted bail in the sum of $750,000 on Wednesday.

The 24 year-old Cambridge resident was on his first appearance before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court.

Citing the strength of the allegations against Moulton, Resident Magistrate Valerie Stephens, who presided over the matter, said she had to ensure that he would not abscond. And having set bail at $750,000 she instructed Moulton to report to the Cambridge Police Station three times per week as a condition of his bail.

“The allegations in this matter are very strong against Mr Moulton. Three people lost their lives. I have to be satisfied that Mr Moulton will return to attend his trial,” RM Stephens said.

“I am going to grant bail in the sum of $750,000 with a surety and he’s to report to the Cambridge Police Station every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm.”

The case is to be mentioned again on April 8, when the outstanding statements and the postmortem reports should have been added to the case file.

Moulton’s truck collided with the white Toyota Corolla station wagon carrying eight members of the Showers of Blessing Apostolic Church shortly before 7:00 pm Sunday.

The six adults and two children were on their way to a church service at Petersfield in Westmoreland.

On reaching the bend at the Awful Gully main road in Cambridge, two trucks, the second of which was driven by the accused man, came hurtling at them.

The driver of the station wagon, Dennis Swaby, 32, was able to avoid the first truck but the second tore into the car.

Swaby and his 12 year-old daughter, Tanisha, were killed while his other daughter, nine year-old Yanique, was injured.

Cecile Campbell, 49, was the other fatality. She was the wife of 51 year-old Raymond Campbell, the pastor at the Showers of Blessing Apostolic Church. The pastor and their 29 year-old daughter, Nadine, were also among the injured. It was the seventh fatal accident in the parish since the start of the year.

In court Wednesday, attorney Clive Mullings, who represents Moulton, said his client had expressed “great remorse” at the “tragic accident” that had affected his entire community.

“He has expressed great remorse at the accident. He lives at Cambridge and this tragic accident has affected persons that he knows and his entire community,” Mullings told the court.

He also alluded to the small width of the road, as a contributing factor to the accident.

“The collision took place midway in the centre of the road, (which is no more than) 17 feet across and I gather that the vehicle collided with the right wheel of the truck, causing him (Moulton) to lose control,” Mullings said.

And he said that despite the fatalities his client, a driver for the past six years, had turned himself over to the police and would show up for court until the matter was concluded.

“He has no previous convictions. He is a very hard worker and the father of two sons, aged two and three. I am confident, your honour, that should he be granted bail he would attend the hearing in this matter,” the attorney said.

It was following this submission that Moulton was granted bail.