A Westmoreland man charged with 13 counts of manslaughter following a traffic accident in 1998, had his bail extended when he appeared in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

Forty-year-old Norman Beckford's appearance before the court resulted from the accident along the Bog Walk Gorge in St Catherine.

Investigating officer Sergeant Osbourne Fearon, of the St Catherine North Traffic Department, said Beckford was driving a Toyota Hiace bus from St Ann toward Kingston with 15 passengers on board.

Lost control

When he reached a section of the Bog Walk Gorge main road, he attempted to overtake a line of traffic and lost control of the vehicle.

The 13 passengers died when the bus plunged into the Rio Cobre.

After the incident, Beckford fled the island for England, where he spent 10 years before being captured and deported.

He is being represented by attorney-at-law Jean Williams, who told the court that her client's conscience would not let him forget the accident and, though she did not fully explain how, that was what led to him being taken into custody in England.

rasbert.turner@gleanerjm.com