JAMAICA COURTHOUSE – STABBING ETC

Woman stabbed 7 times by neighbour who bumped into her

A man who reportedly stabbed his neighbour seven times, damaging her lungs and heart after she went to complain to his mother that he had deliberately bumped into her, was last week denied bail when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

It was also reported that the complainant was kicked several times in her face after she laid on the ground bleeding.

Matthew Smith, 18, of Cooreville Gardens, St Andrew, was arrested recently and charged with wounding with intent following the bloody incident which, according to the complainant’s lawyer Tom Tavares-Finson, almost resulted in the death of the 25-year-old victim.

Finson told the court that the doctor informed her that if she had arrived five minutes later at the hospital she would have died, based on the amount of blood she lost.

According to allegations outlined in court on Friday by the prosecutor, on August 24 at about 4:40 pm, the complainant was walking towards her house when she saw the accused walking with some trash. It was reported that the accused then purposely bumped into her, but they both went their separate ways.

Sometime later, the complainant reportedly saw the accused’s mother and told her about what had happened. However, this was denied by the accused, who came along and told the complainant to stop talking.

An argument reportedly developed between them during which the accused kept pointing his hands in the complainant’s face. The complainant reportedly shoved the accused’s hands out of her face after which he brandished a ratchet knife and she ran.

Further reports are that he chased her and stabbed her seven times in her upper body, and she fell on her hands and knees. Smith reportedly then kicked her several times in her face, causing the complainant to fall on her back.

The complainant, who was assisted to the University Hospital of the West Indies, was admitted and spent a week there before she was released, but she is scheduled to return for further treatment.

The prosecutor also told the court that the police were opposed to bail as the complainant is fearful for her life.

The allegations were, however, firmly denied by Smith’s lawyer Andrew Irving, who told Parish Judge Vaughn Smith that the complainant was the aggressor and that his client was also injured.

“The complainant had been harassing my client and he had been trying to avoid her,” Irving told the court. “She was the one who bumped into him”.

The lawyer told the court that his client, who had no previous conviction, was not a troublemaker and that he was a member of the Boys’ Brigade at his church.

“He is not a threat to the public and he is willing to relocate,” the lawyer added.

“Are you saying that the complainant was armed?” the judge asked.

Irving in reply said, “No. I am not saying that, but while they were fighting she was stabbed.”

“So, let’s say there was a fight, what was the justification for him stabbing her seven times?” the judge further asked.

“It wasn’t intentional,” the attorney answered.

“So he accidentally stabbed her seven times,” the judge then remarked.

Irving, however, insisted that his client was defending himself while maintaining that his client was a fit and proper candidate for bail.

The judge, however, refused Smith bail, noting that he had concerns about Smith interfering with the witness if granted bail and that he would abscond.

Smith was subsequently remanded and is to return to court on October 12.

Landlord to be sentenced for putting out tenant

An elderly landlord who packed up her tenant’s belongings and locked her out of her apartment is to be sentenced on November 15.

Iva Sirus, 83, of Forrest Hills in St Andrew, pleaded guilty to breaches of the Rent Restriction Act after initially denying the allegations.

The court heard that the 22-year-old complainant rented the apartment in Belvedere last December through an agent, but in July was advised by the agent that the property was sold. The agent told the complainant that she was leaving the island and so the landlord would speak to her directly.

On July 31 the complainant was contacted by the landlord and told to hand over her keys, as the premises was sold. However, the complainant told her that she needed time. Two days later, the complainant returned home from work and found her belongings packed in garbage bags and placed outside her apartment, which was locked.

The complainant, who also reported that she had missed money during the occurrence, told the court that on the night of the incident she told the landlord that she had nowhere to go, but the landlord refused to allow her into the premises. The complainant said she left and and went to the Rent Restriction Board the following day and got a letter, and that was how she was able to access her apartment.

Sirus, who was represented by attorney Angela Cousins Robinson, changed her not guilty plea after Judge Smith told her to have further dialogue with her lawyer about her plea, as she will face stiffer penalties if the matter goes to trial and she is found guilty.

The landlord, after accepting responsibility, also indicated through her lawyer that she had $40,000 to give to the complainant for the funds she said she lost, but the complainant said that was not enough as she also needed to be compensated for the stress that was caused to her.

The judge then advised her that she should seek further remedy in the civil court.

A social enquiry report was ordered for Sirus whose bail was extended for her to return for sentencing in November.

Old woman pleads the blood of Jesus while being robbed in downtown Kingston

One of two young men who was caught by police officers in downtown Kingston holding down an elderly woman in the street, in a bid to rob her of her handbag, was remanded for sentencing on September 21.

The old woman, who was on Heywood Street, was rescued by officers who were on patrol after they heard her screaming for murder and help.

According to the prosecutor, the police officers saw the two males, including a 16-year-old juvenile, holding down the old lady in the road as she struggled to free herself.

“She was also pleading the blood of Jesus against them,” the investigating officer told the court last Friday.

The older of the two, Damion Scott, 21, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and was remanded for sentencing.

However the juvenile pleaded not guilty, saying that he was not involved in the robbery.

“I was going about my business and this officer hold on to mi and a ask mi fi knife, and I told him I don’t have any knife and him start hit me,” the juvenile said.

Attorney Charles Williams, who represented Scott and was holding for the juvenile’s attorney Zandra-Gaye Francis, then asked the judge to offer bail to the juvenile.

Parish Judge Vaughn Smith acceded and was willing to accept the juvenile’s mother as a surety, but she had forgotten her identification card and as a result the matter was set back for bail on the next hearing.

Both were then remanded.