Bus driver, conductor accused of assaulting each other
A bus conductor and driver who allegedly assaulted each other were both remanded to prison on Wednesday when they appeared before Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Twenty-three-year-old Edson Noel of 47 Prince William Street, Plaisance pleaded not guilty to the charge of unlawfully and maliciously wounding Mark Hopkinson, while Hopkinson, 27, of 2878 North Ruimveldt, pleaded not guilty to assaulting and causing actual bodily harm to Noel.
Noel stated that on October 19, “Me and Mark dey gambling at de Kitty bus park and when I seh I done play Mark push he hand in me pocket and tek de money dat he seh was only a hundred dollars.”
He said that Hopkinson refused to give back the money and later picked up a glass bottle and lashed him in his face with it.
Noel said that he picked up the said bottle when Hopkinson dropped it and lashed him in his face but the bottle broke and sliced Hopkinson on the left side of his face.
However Hopkinson stated that on the day in question he had travelled in the bus that Noel conducts and he got out when they reached the Kitty bus park and walked away. He said that he told Noel that he was going to get some money from his friend who was in the park gambling not far from where the bus had parked to pay the bus fare.
He said that as he was going to get the money Noel ran behind him and lashed him in his face with a glass bottle that broke and sliced his face. “Your worship I get twenty-one stitches fuh dis nonsense.”
However both Noel and Hopkinson stated that they were not desirous of continuing with the matter as Noel had offered to recompense Hopkinson with $100,000.
The magistrate then ordered that they both be remanded to prison until Noel could pay the money in full. They were ordered to appear again in court today.
