A man is now fighting for his life after he was stabbed and had his throat slit by a mentally unstable man last evening, in the vicinity of the Astor Cinema on Church and Waterloo streets.
Kevin Layne, 35, was rushed to the Georgetown Hospital shortly after he was found lying in front of his boss’ home at Robb Street, a short distance away from where the attack occurred. Up to press time last night, doctors were operating on him, trying to save his life.
The attack occurred around 8:30 and after Layne was found wounded an ambulance was summoned. It arrived moments after but there was no paramedic on board to render first aid, only the hospital porters.
Despite his wounds, Layne managed to run from the cinema to his employer’s residence, where he collapsed as he cried for help, his boss recounted. He clutched his neck as blood gushed from his wounds as he waited for the ambulance to arrive.
Persons at the scene said that the man’s attacker threw away the knife used in the attack in a nearby drain and calmly walked away from the scene.
Layne lives in a snackette at Bourda Market, which has been his home for a number of years, friends there said. Persons in the area also said that he did odd jobs for stallholders in the day. They also said he has one daughter who would take food for him. Efforts by this newspaper to make contact with Layne’s daughter were unsuccessful.
His boss stated that he saw him earlier in the night and Layne told him that he was going to the cinema, which he does every night. He said shortly after he left, he heard Layne calling his name. When he went to see what was the problem, he found him lying at his entrance with blood gushing from his neck. The ambulance was then summoned.
Another person at the scene said that he was leaving his place of work on Wellington Street when his friend told him “look a man cutting another man up deh.” He said when he rushed to the scene, he saw the man lying on the ground bleeding.
Persons at the scene also said that Layne’s attacker is well known for attacking persons and is usually seen at the corner of Wellington Street and North Road with cutlasses and knives.
There was also speculation that Layne and his attacker had previously had a confrontation over money and this may have been the motive behind the attack.
A recent attack by a mentally unstable man on a teenage boy has prompted calls for authorities to address the situation of such persons roaming the streets.