Juan Fyfield’s case wraps up today

By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

~~Adz:Left~~BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – JUAN ‘LALA’ FYFIELD will today know if he is guilty or acquitted of the wounding with intent charge for which he is being tried.

Fyfield is accused of shooting Shane Degrasse in the chest sometime after 4:00 p.m. on January 1, 2008 at Carty Alley, Newtown.

The prosecution called a number of witnesses who gave evidence in effort to prove to the jury, beyond reasonable doubt that Fyfield committed the offence.

According to Degrasse’s testimony, on the day in question, he was travelling up Carty Alley on a bicycle when a man he described as “a St. Thomas youth” attacked him. Degrasse said he jumped off the bicycle and flung the rice and coconut he had in his hand at the St. Thomas youth.  He also said it was then that the accused, Fyfield, ran towards him with his hand behind his back.

Degrasse told the court that he ran up the road, leaving the bicycle behind, and later returned to the area of the incident with a number of other individuals. Degrasse also told the court that on his return, an altercation ensued between he and Gerard ‘Sadam’ Stapleton who had struck his bicycle with a baseball bat.

Degrasse said it was during this second trip to Carty Alley that he was approached by the accused, who took out a gun and shot at him a number of times. One bullet caught Degrasse in the chest.

Degrasse however did not realise that he was shot until after running away from the scene of the incident and a feeling of weakness overcame him. He was eventually taken to the Joseph N. France General Hospital, where he remained for nine days.

According to Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, who rendered medical treatment to Degrasse, the shooting victim had a gunshot wound to the left upper chest, a collapsed left lung and a quantity of blood had to be drained from his left chest cavity. The bullet, he said, was also removed and given to the Police.

Dr. Wilkinson told the court that Degrasse’s injuries could have been life-threatening had it not been for timely surgical intervention.

After the prosecution closed its case, defence counsel Marsha Henderson called on Stapleton and Fyfield’s girlfriend, Rhondalee Audain, to take the stand.

Audain testified that she, Fyfield and their two children had started walking from Ponds Estate to Fort Street sometime after 3:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m., and during the time of which the incident allegedly occurred they were on Fort Street observing the Carnival festivity.

Stapleton told the court that he saw Fyfield with his family on the same day heading “for town”.  He also said that he was at Carty Alley when the incident occurred and Fyfield was not present.

Closing arguments were presented by the prosecution and defence and, today, His Lordship, Justice Alfred Redhead is scheduled to present a summation of the case and will instruct the jury on the law.

The jury is expected to deliberate shortly thereafter and will inform the court of its decision.