Seventeen-year- old Kamal De Freitas of Ottley Hall was fined $250 when he appeared before the No.1 Kingstown Magisterial Court, charged with unlawful and malicious wounding.
De Freitas, who pleaded guilty to wounding Jeremy Bobb of Ottley Hall, was ordered to pay the fine forthwith, with an alternative prison sentence of three months.{{more}}
The court heard that on July 18, 2004, Bobb was speaking to someone at the Ottley Hall public road when De Freitas approached him with a knife. De Freitas challenged him, slashed him on the right forearm and ran.
Police said Bobb sustained a 4cm deep laceration which took five stitches.
De Freitas told the court that Bobb and three others had beaten him previously. Asked by Senior Magistrate Carl Joseph if he reported the matter to the police, he replied in the negative.
Asked why he did not report the matter to police, he did not say.
“So you decided to take the law into your own hands”? the Senior Magistrate asked.
The Senior Magistrate called De Freitas’ father, Collin Johnny, into the court-room and informed him of the fine imposed and the condition of payment. Johnny then said he would “go and get the money”.
De Freitas was also placed on bond to keep the peace for two years in the sum of $300 for wounding Bobb and damaging his jersey. If he breaches the bond and is convicted for any offence, he would be called upon to pay $300 orthwith, failing which he would be imprisoned for three months.