BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE day of reckoning for Anthony James, who was convicted of maiming another man and leaving him to die, draws nigh and he will know his fate in a matter of days.
The man and his son Chesney James were charged with “wounding with intent” and the subsumed charge of “unlawful wounding”, committed against Lennus St. Jules of Challengers Village.
According to the prosecution’s case, the older James pinned down St. Jules and instructed his son to inflict injury on him. As a result, the prosecution’s case further indicated, St. Jules sustained a chop to each of his calves and a severed left hand.
St. Jules’ testimony proposed that on the day the incident took place, he went to his home, found it ransacked and burglarised and decided to find the alleged perpetrator – another of James’ sons – and took matters into his own hands. He said he left his house with a ‘bosa’ in one hand and a stick in another, bound for the James’ residence.
He testified that he did not see the person he went in search of but, sometime after, he saw the father to whom he relayed his concerns, after which he was approached and attacked by Anthony and Chesney James resulting in him being maimed.
Both father and son took the stand with the younger claiming that he played no part in the incident, so much so that he was not present when it took place. The older James substantiated his son’s testimony and confirmed that he was not present during the commission of the offence.
His account of the incident, however, left many questions unanswered, especially after he claimed that he does not recall certain specifics of the incident. He recollected that St. Jules attacked him and he reacted in self-defence.
Anthony James, a diabetic, told the court that he neglected to take his insulin that morning and, as a result, he passed out sometime during the incident.
The empanelled jury, after a couple of hours of deliberations, exonerated the younger James and convicted the older of “unlawful wounding”.
Sentencing was to have taken place on Thursday, February 11, 2010 but it was deferred to Thursday, February 18, so as to afford all parties involved ample time to prepare for that procedure.
James was released on bail and is expected to appear before the Basseterre High Court of Justice at 9:00 on that morning.
