Russian National Fined $2 Million for Fatal Crash That Killed Four on Port Royal Road

Kingston, Jamaica (McKoy’s News) – A Russian national who caused the death of four people in a deadly motor vehicle crash along the Port Royal main road in December 2022 has been spared prison time.

53-year-old Alexey Zaytsev was sentenced in the Home Circuit Court on Thursday, after pleading guilty to four counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Zaytsev was fined $500,000 or three months’ imprisonment on each count, totaling $2 million, and given seven days to pay.

His attorney, King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie, appealed to the court for leniency, citing several mitigating factors. Among them was the fact that some of the victims’ relatives reportedly expressed that they did not wish to see Zaytsev imprisoned. Champagnie also told the court that civil action had already been initiated, and Zaytsev’s insurance company was prepared to handle compensation claims.

He further noted that Zaytsev had no prior convictions, and had shown “great sadness” over the incident and the lives lost.

The victims in the tragic crash were:

🕊️ Rosemarie Roberts-Banton, 57

🕊️ Zachery Heslop, 18

🕊️ Taxi operator Delroy Grant, 53

🕊️ Camille Stephenson-Grant

According to reports, around 5:45 a.m. on December 11, 2022, Grant was driving a Toyota Succeed when it collided with a Toyota Prado Land Cruiser being driven by Zaytsev near the roundabout along Port Royal Road.

Emergency responders rushed six injured persons to hospital, but Roberts-Banton, Heslop, Grant, and Stephenson-Grant were all pronounced dead. Zaytsev and his passenger were treated and released.