BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WILLIAM ‘Scudumba’ GIFT of Sandy Point was yesterday (Oct. 12) found guilty for causing Grievous Bodily Harm to his neighbour, Clive ‘Fegs’ Murray, on February 28, 2008.
The evidence presented before His Lordship Errol Thomas at the Basseterre High Court of Justice stated that Murray was on his way home when Gift jumped over a neighbour’s wall fence and started beating him with a pipe.
Three witnesses testified, including Orlando Hughes, the police officer who visited Murray while he was at the hospital after the incident occurred. The other witnesses were Murray and Medical Chief-of-Staff Dr. Cameron Wilkinson.
Murray told the court that he knew it was Gift who beat him because he knows him well and he was not wearing a mask.
“He jumped from the neighbour’s fence and hit me with a piece of iron then he walked to his home,” Murray said.
Murray said he called out for help, as his right leg felt as though it was broken, and a young lady responded. She had also summoned the ambulance that transported him to the Pogson Hospital in Sandy Point thence to the Joseph N. France General Hospital.
Officer Hughes, in his evidence, said that on May 31, 2008 he saw Gift and told him he was making inquiries into a report made by Murray. He added that Gift was formally arrested and charged for the crime on November 28, 2008.
Dr. Wilkinson explained to the court that as the Medical Chief-of-Staff, he is responsible for all doctors at the JNF Hospital. He told the court that the night when Murray was taken to the hospital he was treated by Dr. Solas, who no longer resides in St. Kitts.
Wilkinson said that Murray was assessed as having a compound fracture to his right leg, as two bones were broken, and he was hospitalised until March 4, 2008.
In his defence, Gift said that on the day in question he had left Sandy Point at around 6:30 p.m. for the Potential Bar in Basseterre, where a promotion was held for the Jah Cure Concert.
Gift told the court that while there, he bought a phone from Chippie which made him one of the lucky winners of a ticket to attend the Jah Cure Concert. He added that when he left there, he caught a bus and went home shortly before 11:00 p.m.
He said that two days later a police officer had approached him concerning the incident.
Gift, who is currently serving an 18-month sentence for Bestiality, will be sentenced later this month.
