News
Family Demands better for Victims of Dangerous Drivers; Tempers Flare as Accused skips town
Wilkie Arthur
Freelance Court Reporter
#TurksandCaicos, December 15, 2023 – The family of the late John Alexander Robinson, who was killed in a fatal vehicular accident on May 1st, 2023, turned up at court with supporters on Tuesday December 5 to hear and see the progress of the criminal proceedings against the man charged with killing him, only to be devastated by the turn of events.
Magnetic Media was summoned to the scene of an angry handful of relatives who learned that the matter would not be heard because the unlicensed driver, Illirique Laurencin is believed to have absconded.
They told us that court officials informed them that the man responsible for John Robinson’s death was released by the court on $10,000.00 bail and Laurencin has since left the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Represented by attorney, Finbar Grant, Laurencin reportedly sought permission to leave for a family medical emergency and has not been seen since. The man was slammed with four counts of crime in connection to the death of Robinson and was scheduled for court on December 5. He was a no show.
The deceased sister crying loudly and with loads of tears falling down her face, said, “Lord, how am I going to tell my mother who can’t walk and move around as before that her son’s killer left the country and may never get to taste justice for her child.”
Relatives, distraught and angered by the lack of an appearance of the accused sought to get some information from the man who signed his bail. That man, also now a victim was reportedly hostile and it caused a row to break out
“We feel like the system has failed us,” said a member of the family.
Police at the court managed to tame the flared tempers, explaining that the accused man did not return to court and the matter which is due to be transferred to the Supreme Court never got that far because of the no-show of Illirique Laurencin.
A shouting match erupted between Robinson’s sister, father and cousins and the man who stood as surety for Laurencin.
“The guy work for me, he asked me if I can sign his bail and now I have to pay the $10,000 for the man who leave the country. So you cussing me for no reason,” explained Laurencin’s former employer who also had to be calmed by a responding police officer.
The Unlicensed accused ILLIRIQUE LAURENCIN was charged with: Causing death by dangerous driving; unaccompanied driving; using motor vehicle without insurance and – failing to display “L’s”.
The family was in tears and said, “we have never even gotten to see the guy who killed him before he got let out on bail.”
Robinson’s sister told us her understanding of events, that the accused was speeding so fast that “he knocked my brother’s vehicle into a 40 foot container and over on the other side of the road to be hit by another vehicle,” said the sister in obvious pain.
She told us her brother “was twisted up and broke up all parts of his body and how he cried and was screaming in pain and agony at the hospital until he died” that very same night.
“He died in so much pain and suffering,” she said.
The family is now demanding changes, saying “something has to be done with this easy slack approach towards people who kill people in these vehicular homicides.”
They disagreed with any bail in a case of vehicular manslaughter.
Another disturbing twist in the case is the conviction of a Smart Supermarket Manger DENA LOUIS MORLEY who was charged with ‘Wasting the police time or Wasteful employment of police time” as she tried to cover up for the now escaped fugitive.
Morley had admitted her guilt in the matter.