DUI charge against Gary Best dismissed

Feb 11, 2021 News

Former GDF Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral (ret’d) Gary Best.

Kaieteur News – Yesterday, two days after the death anniversary of national cyclist, Jude Bentley, former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Gary Best, had a second charge against him dismissed.
Best, was set free for the driving under the influence (DUI) charge by Senior Magistrate, Clive Nurse, in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
In handing down his ruling, Senior Magistrate Nurse stated that the prosecution failed to prove the key elements of the charge, and as such Best’s lawyers’ (Nigel Hughes, Ronald Daniels and Sophia Findlay) no-case submission was upheld by the Magistrate based on lack of sufficient evidence. As a result, the matter was dismissed.
Best had denied the charge, which stated that on February 8, 2020, at Clive Lloyd Drive, Georgetown, he drove motor vehicle PRR 8182 while his blood alcohol level was at 0.85 micrograms.

Dead: national cyclist, Jude Bentley.

The People’s National Congress (PNC) executive member, who lives at Pradoville Two, (Sparendaam), East Coast Demerara, was also charged for driving in a manner dangerous to the public thereby causing the death of Bentley.
In December, Best had the causing death by dangerous driving charge dismissed against him by Magistrate Rhondel Weever in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, under the same circumstances that the prosecution failed to prove key elements of the charge.
However, days after that dismissal, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, S.C., filed an appeal for the dismissal of the ruling into Best’s matter. The notice of appeal was filed in the Court of Appeal.
Kaieteur News had reported that the accident occurred at around 05:00 hrs. on February 8, 2020. Bentley was allegedly struck down by a black Toyota Land Cruiser which was being driven by Best.
Reports indicate that both Best and Bentley were heading in an eastern direction, when the former slammed into the cyclist, taking down a utility pole located on a median at the same time.