BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ALTHOUGH Olonzo Alexander testified in court that he was not a part of the January 5, 2008 beating and wounding of Denzil France, the jury still brought him guilty of Unlawful Wounding.

They however found him not guilty on the first charge of Wounding with Intent.The incident occurred on the Frigate Bay Strip between Inons and Tasha’s Bar near the ocean at around 3:50 a.m.

The prosecutor alleged that during the incident, Cardin Jeffers had stabbed France while Alexander had beaten him with his hands.

Jeffers pleaded guilty to the charge at a previous assizes.

The trial began on October 20 and Zuberi Edgings of Baker’s Corner was the first witness to testify.

Edgins said he was sitting by Inons Bar and saw a fight about 30 feet away from him, where it appeared that two men were beating another man. He also stated that it appeared as though one of them was stabbing the man.

Edgins added that after the incident he saw the man who was beaten crawling towards the direction where he was sitting but he did not help him.

The second witness was the victim, who resides at Upper Monkey Hill. He said that he knows the accused from seeing him at College Street in a “Port uniform”.

France said at the time of the incident he was standing on the beach and saw when Jeffers passed him. He noted that after a while he saw Jeffers returning towards him.

“I looked him in his eyes. He bowed his head and he swung his hand to slap me. I put up my right hand to block and I got a pung on my wrist.

“Olonzo came from the left side. He hit me and I fell to the ground on my back. Cardin kneeled down by me and stabbed me while Olonzo was beating me with his hands,” France said.

France also told the court that he was stabbed under his right arm and was using his feet to ward off the two men. He then rolled over and was stabbed in his back, which he claimed made his body felt cold and motionless.

He further told the court that he saw when Alexander and Jeffers ran in the direction of Oasis Bar.

“I couldn’t walk, so I crawled up the beach and recognised Zuberi and I spoke to him. Then I saw my cousin and spoke to him. He took me to the JNF Hospital and I was taken to the emergency room,” he said.

France pointed out that while at the hospital police officers went there to speak to him and Dr. Cameron Wilkinson performed the surgery. He also said that he had remained in convalescence in the surgical ward for two weeks.

France further told the court that he had recognised the faces of the two men because they were not wearing masks and that the incident lasted for approximately three to four minutes.

He was cross-examined by Alexander’s lawyer Angela Inniss, who asked if he had any prior incident with Jeffers and if he was upset with the accused for impregnating his girlfriend.

France replied in the negative to the first question and stated that he was not annoyed with Jeffers for getting his girlfriend pregnant.

“We had no fights or cussing over the girl,” he said.

Defence counsel also asked him if he was certain that it was Alexander he saw on the night he was beaten, to which France said, “Yes, I am certain.”

The other witnesses were Toovia Stephens of St. Peters and two investigating officers, Novella Charles and Corrine Marsham. Stephens testified that she had known the accused for some four years and she saw when the victim was attacked by two persons wearing white shirts but was unable to identify them. 

Marsham said that during her investigations Alexander said that he went to Ziggy’s with two females on the night of the incident, and that he met Jeffers who told him he needed a lift home because we was just in a fight.

Dr. Wilkenson, General Surgeon at the JNF Hospital, who was the last witness before the prosecutor rested her case, said that France’s injuries were serious and life threatening.

In his defence, Alexander said he was on the Frigate Bay Strip with female friends and was at Ziggy’s Bar.

“We moved from bar to bar but stayed mainly at Ziggy’s Bar,” he said.

Alexander said that he had witnessed an accident on the Strip near to his car and had decided to remove it and park it near to Buddies. He stated that on his way back to Ziggy’s, Jeffers met and asked him for a lift home because he was in a fight.

He also said that he did not see France on the night of the incident.

During cross-examination, the prosecutor, Director of Public Prosecutions Paulina Hendrickson, asked Alexander if he and Jeffers were friends; a question to which he replied, “Acquaintances.”

She also asked him if he was the person involved in the wounding of France, and he replied in the negative.

He is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on Thursday, October 28.