Bernadette Nero yesterday recounted that her former partner, Calvin Bailey, fatally chopped her infant son, Shaquan, during an attack on her.
Nero was at the time testifying via Skype at the trial of Bailey, who is charged with the murder of the boy, who was 18 months old at the time.
The charge against the accused is that on April 4, 2007, at Amelia’s Ward, Linden, he murdered Shaquan Nero. He has pleaded not guilty.
In her evidence-in-chief, Nero, who testified via Skype from Barbados, said that on the day in question she had decided to walk out of the relationship she once shared with the accused, as he had become abusive towards her. She said that she packed her bags and, along with her son, left Bailey’s Wisroc Housing Scheme Linden residence for her aunt’s Amelia’s Ward home.
She said that later that day, Bailey sought her out at her aunt’s home, where he stated that he wanted to talk. She said she responded by telling him that she had nothing to say to him and did not want to hear anything from him.
Nero said the accused then started to curse and create a scene, while calling her names. “You think you could lef me jus like duh?” she quoted him as saying.
The woman said that Bailey then attacked her with a cutlass, which he used to chop her. The witness showed the court several injuries to one of her arms, which she said she sustained during the attack.
She said that she also got an injury to her head, but was unable to show it to the court because of hair extensions she was wearing at the time.
The woman said that during the attack, she fell backwards and as Bailey attempted to chop her to the neck, he missed and the weapon connected with Shaquan’s neck as she was holding him in one arm at the time.
The woman tearfully recalled seeing blood spilling from her baby’s neck as she screamed for help.
The trial continues this morning at 9.
Bailey is on trial before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry and a 12-member mixed jury at the High Court in Georgetown.
The state is being represented by prosecutors Michael Shahoud and Orinthia Schmidt. Meanwhile, Bailey is represented by attorney Peter Hugh.
