An argument over window curtains landed a man before the court yesterday on a charge that he took a cutlass and chopped his neighbour. However, Magistrate Ann McLennan found that Deodat Singh did not in fact chop Albert Jeffery and she admonished both men to act like adults before placing them on a bond to keep the peace.
Singh, 43, of Lot 128 Quamina Street, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on a charge that he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Jeffery.
He pleaded guilty but also offered an explanation. According to Prosecutor Deniro Jones, Singh and Jeffery live in the same building.
He said that on August 11, Singh went to Jeffery’s room to remove some window blinds, which he had loaned him. He added that Singh got annoyed and took a cutlass and chopped Jeffery to his left eye. Jeffery then sought medical attention and made a report to the police.
However, Singh, when given a chance to speak, stated that he did not chop Jeffery. He added that Jeffery bent down to collect the blinds and the cutlass accidentally scraped him over his eyes. He firmly stated that if he had chopped Jeffery, he might have been a dead man. He also stated that he only armed himself with the cutlass after Jeffery scraped him with a knife.
When Magistrate McLennan asked Jeffery whether he had a knife, he said that he did not.
However, after looking at Jeffery’s medical statement from the doctor whom he visited, she discovered that he sustained a small laceration that was not bleeding and he had no stitches. As a result, the magistrate accepted that he was not chopped by Singh.
The magistrate also determined from the men that their altercation had its genesis after they had loaned each other a number of minor items, including soaps and a kitchen stove. She eventually told them they were adult men and should learn to act like adult men. “I will make a decision that will teach both of you guys a lesson.
You are big men fighting over curtains!” the magistrate exclaimed.
As a result, Singh was discharged and both men were placed on bonds to keep the peace for 12 months or in default serve four months imprisonment.
