Court frees driver of bus in crash that left three students dead

Mandeville, Manchester:

Gavin Linton, the driver of a Toyota Hiace minibus that crashed in April 2011, resulting in the deaths of three students of the Holmwood Technical High School and an adult, was freed of manslaughter charges in the Manchester Circuit Court yesterday.

After the prosecution presented its case with 13 witnesses, Justice Chester Stamp ruled that there was no case for Linton to answer as the Crown did not have evidence to prove his negligence.

Linton was reported to have been driving a minibus from Trelawny to Christiana, Manchester, with 20 Holmwood students aboard when he lost control of the vehicle, which slammed into a wall, ripping its roof off before coming to a halt.

Three students died on the spot, while the conductor of the bus later died at the Percy Junor Hospital.

Several other students were seriously injured in the accident.