A former senator convicted of killing a football star while behind the wheel has been denied bail.

Puisne Judge Alan Richards delivered the ruling against Curtis Richardson today after telling the Supreme Court Richardson would be sentenced as early as next week.

Richardson, 52, was remanded into custody last month after a jury found him guilty of causing the death of Marco Warren through careless driving.

He has since filed an appeal against his conviction and requested to have bail before his sentencing.

Victoria Greening, for the defence, previously argued her client feared for his safety in prison.

She added that Richardson was not a flight risk and was willing to comply with any bail conditions, such as wearing an electric monitoring device or house arrest.

However, Mr Justice Richards said that, while the right to bail did initially apply to his case, it was stripped away once he was convicted.

He added that the lengthy custodial sentence could actually make him more of a flight risk if granted bail.

Mr Justice Richards noted in particular that Richardson was likely to be sentenced next week and could serve as much as eight years in prison, making a few days’ worth of bail inconsequential.

He adjourned the case until November 12 and remanded Richardson in custody.

Mr Warren, a 29-year-old father of one and three-time MVP winner in his Bermuda football league, died from injuries connected to an incident in the early hours of May 14, 2023.

The court heard that Mr Warren was walking home along North Shore Road near its intersection with Trinity Church Road in Hamilton Parish when he was struck by a taxi driven by Richardson.

Police and ambulance arrived to take Mr Warren to hospital, but he died from extensive internal injuries.

During Richardson’s trial, the jury heard he gave a voluntary police statement where he told officers he swerved to avoid what he believed was a trash bag.

The prosecution told the court that Richardson had enough visibility to see Mr Warren and had ample time to respond appropriately.

However, Richardson’s defence suggested Mr Warren may have been struck first by a “ghost car” that was spotted by a witness.

The jury found him guilty after about two hours of deliberation. Mr Justice Richards then ordered a social inquiry report on Richardson, which the court heard had been completed.

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