A man already serving a sentence for causing death by dangerous driving escaped further time after a plea by a Police prosecutor.

Lerone Malcolm Ming could have been given an extra 304 days on top of the 12 months he is already serving, but for an intervention by Inspector Anthony Mouchette.

On Friday, Insp. Mouchette asked Senior Magistrate Will Francis not to give Ming any additional prison time in view of the length of the term he had already started.

Ming had just admitted a string of traffic offences in which he had given a false name three times to Police, resulting in an innocent man being brought before the courts.

But Mr. Francis let Ming serve the time concurrently with the existing sentence after the appeal by Insp. Mouchette.

Ming, of Ord Road, Paget, was jailed on February 26 after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified.

He had collided with a motorcycle ridden by Zeita Matthew, 16, whilst overtaking a line of cars on his motorcycle. She died in hospital after spending two weeks in a coma in June 1997.

Ming pleaded guilty to a total of eleven charges, including attempting to pervert the course of justice, having an unlicensed vehicle, speeding, having no drivers licence and having an unlicensed motorcycle.

Junior Crown counsel Veronica Gordon said Ming had been stopped on three occasions last year for various traffic offences, and each time he gave his name as John Darrell.

When he failed to appear in court a warrant was issued in the name of John Darrell. The innocent Mr. Darrell was then brought before the courts where the officers in the case did not identify him as the man they stopped.

Further inquiries led to Ming.

Mr. Francis warned him that giving a false name was serious and could cause a lot of upset to innocent parties.

"You see the kind of mischief caused by this. If John Darrell had given your name and you were arrested whilst you were out with your friends, you would be embarrassed - it is happening all the time,'' he said.

Ming is to serve 304 days concurrent to his existing sentence in lieu of fines totalling $3,800.

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