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Former Government Minister Ainslie Leslie knocked down four year old Steadfast Villager Rhianna (Rihanna) Pineda ten days ago and now the child has died. She never regained consciousness after she suffered massive head and body injuries and she died yesterday evening while getting treatment at Belize Healthcare Partners. Sixty one year old Leslie told Dangriga Police that on Sunday morning he was driving through the village on the Stann Creek Valley Road when he noticed two children about to cross the highway.

Leslie told the cops that the older child was holding the hand of the younger girl but the she managed to get away and darted across the road. Leslie told police that he tried to avoid hitting the child but the side of his vehicle struck her. Rihanna Pineda suffered a fractured skull and a broken leg.

Overcome by grief, the Pineda family declined an interview but told 7News that Ainslie Leslie has been helping them with their medical expenses. They told 7News that Rihanna was returning from church on the day she was hit. Dangriga police say Leslie who had been served with a notice of prosecution will now be charged with manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct and driving without due care and attention.