[COURTHOUSE]:::TRIAL DATE SET FOR MAN ON WOUNDING CHARGE

No. 68 Friday, March 19, 2010
A trial date has been set for 29 year-old Lovington Clarke who was charged following an incident in 2007 where he inflicted a number of machete wounds to another man.

    The Stewart Town, Trelawny resident was initially charged with wounding with intent but the charge was reduced to unlawful wounding when he appeared before the Montego Bay RM Court on Wednesday, March 17.
    However, the prosecution opposed to bail as it is feared that he might not turn up for his trial.
    Clarke was given bail in an earlier court appearance but he absconded, which resulted in the surety having had to pay a portion of the bond.
    He was re-arrested and taken back before the court on a warrant.
    Clarke will remain behind bars until May 20 when his trial will begin.
    Reports are that some time in 2007, a dispute developed between Clarke and the complainant, a street vendor, along Howard Cooke Boulevard in Montego Bay.
    In the process, the accused man used a machete to chop the complainant on his hand.
    The complainant ran towards KFC in a bid to escape and Clarke allegedly gave chase.
    The complainant was in the process of running inside the KFC building when Clarke caught up with him and chopped him a second time.
    A police officer who was nearby and who had witnessed the incident called out to the accused man who proceeded to chop the complainant a third time.
    Clarke was about to chop the complainant a fourth time when the officer fired a shot hitting him in the abdomen.
    He was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he received treatment and was subsequently arrested and charged.