Bail denied for contractor who fatally stabbed Berbice hire car driver

Magistrate Michelle Matthias on Friday refused bail in the manslaughter charge against a man who fatally stabbed a hire car driver.

Frank McAllister, 21, of Heat Burn Village, East Bank Berbice, appeared at the Albion Magistrate’s Court.

The court heard that on May 12, 2026, at Edinburgh Village, East Bank, McAllister unlawfully murdered Oswain Lawson.

McAllister did not enter a plea.

Police Prosecutor Corporal Sherry Williams informed the court that the case file is incomplete and the postmortem examination of the victim is pending. Williams emphasized that the case file must be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for further legal review.

Williams objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the offence and the violent manner in which it was committed, noting that a knife was used to inflict fatal injuries. She reaffirmed that the victim is now deceased.

McAllister’s attorney, Chandra Sohan, requested bail, asserting that his client poses no flight risk and is willing to comply with any bail conditions.

Sohan argued that manslaughter is a bailable offence.

After careful consideration of both the prosecution and defense, Magistrate Matthias denied bail, citing the gravity of the crime.

McAllister, appearing composed in court, was remanded to prison. The case was adjourned to June 4th and transferred to the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court for further proceedings.

Family members of the accused were in court in large numbers, offering words of encouragement as McAllister left the courtroom.

Police said that around 01:30 hrs, Lawson, 42, of Lot 46 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam
was involved in an argument with McAllister at a shop in the area. The argument reportedly escalated and Lawson was allegedly attacked.
Investigators said Lawson later drove motor car #HD 8644 away from the scene, but the vehicle ended up in a trench at Edinburgh. Public-spirited citizens removed him from the car in an unconscious state and rushed him to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The incident was initially treated as a fatal accident. However, officers later discovered several suspected stab wounds on Lawson’s upper body.

Police subsequently returned to the scene and, acting on information received, arrested McAllister

According to information received, Lawson sustained four stab wounds to his right side chest and five stab wounds to his back.

A postmortem examination conducted on Wednesday by Government Pathologist Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan revealed that Lawson died from multiple incised stab wounds resulting in hemorrhage and collapsed lungs