Westmoreland man charged with manslaughter
WESTERN BUREAU — Luther Clarke, 41, of Whitehall in Westmoreland was on Wednesday charged with manslaughter, following the death of an elderly farmer during a motor vehicle accident along the New Hope main road in the parish.
The dead man has been identified as Charles Beckford, 68, of New Hope.
Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) liaison officer for the parish, Sergeant Alva Douglas told the Observer that at about 8:45 am on Tuesday, Clarke was driving a Toyota Corolla motor car along the district’s main road when it hit Beckford. The farmer was in the process of crossing the road.
He received head injuries and was taken to the Savanna-la-Mar General Hospital where he later died.
Following investigations by the police, Clarke was arrested and charged and is booked to appear in the Savanna-la-Mar Resident Magistrate’s Court next Tuesday.
Motor vehicle accidents have claimed five lives in Westmoreland since the start of the year.