A man appeared in court yesterday charged with the manslaughter of a 22-year-old in a suspected hit and run accident at the weekend.

Dressed in jeans and a brown short-sleeved shirt, Mendell Eugene Outerbridge was charged with the unlawful killing of Raymond Glenn Curtis on Saturday in Sandys parish.

His girlfriend Leonae Jameca Simmons, who is eight months pregnant, was accused of being an accessory to manslaughter after the fact.

Outerbridge, 25, of Sandys, was also charged with causing Mr. Curtis's death by driving a car deemed dangerous to the public. He is accused of a further three offences: driving a car without a vehicle or driver's licence and of having no third party insurance.

Relatives of Mr. Curtis, who was also known as Smockie, were present in Plea Court as Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner read out the charges yesterday.

Dressed in a white T-shirt and khaki shorts, Simmons, 19, also of Sandys, was charged with receiving, relieving or assisting a person to escape punishment on September 6 in the knowledge of a felony manslaughter having been committed.

Mr. Warner granted bail to both defendants until their next court appearance on September 23. Outerbridge's bail is set at $20,000 and Simmons at $5,000.

Mr. Curtis was allegedly struck by a car as he walked home from Woody's Sports Bar in the early hours of Saturday. Police were called to Malabar Road near Black Bay at 3.48 a.m. where they found Mr. Curtis lying unconscious in the street. He was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital but pronounced dead at 4.30 a.m.

Mr. Curtis was just minutes from his home in Albert Row when the incident took place.

Police are appealing for witnesses and are urging anyone who saw Mr. Curtis on Friday to come forward.

They also want to hear of any sightings of a small red car in the area on Friday night and Saturday, and are keen to speak to the driver of a white car said to have been overtaken by the red car in the Black Bay area between 3 a.m. and 3.40 a.m.

Anyone with any information should contact the Serious Crime Unit at 299-4315 or the confidential Crime Stoppers hotline: 1-800-623-8477.