Complainant declines compensation, wants robber to return $16, 200 gold chain

The courtroom erupted in laughter Tuesday when the complainant in a wounding with intent and robbery matter declared that he was not concerned about compensation for his injuries, but only wanted his $16, 200 gold chain back.

“Sir, I wasn’t really looking for compensation … I just really want back my gold chain,” McGarvin Peters told Judge Brian Cottle when he was called to the witness stand.

Peters had been friends with the accused man, Ridge Wayne Williams, since high school days. However, their friendship turned sour after Peters sold a scooter for the accused. Since then, Williams had problems obtaining the ownership documents from Peters, causing police to seize the scooter from Williams, the court heard.

Peters told the court that on the day of the incident Williams pulled his gold chain from his neck and said he was taking it because he did not get the documents.

“Your Worship, I lost my chain in the incident. I buy my chain US$5,000 in St. Thomas,” Peters said, prompting the judge to ask what kind of chain it was. Peters informed the court that the stolen chain was a 27-inch Cuban links chain.

“Later on a friend of his tell me he sold my chain to those Spanish people…for US$2, 000,” Peters claimed, causing persons to giggle.

Although Williams pleaded guilty to both charges, the prosecution’s lawyer Wayne Norde requested that the robbery charge be withdrawn.

According to the facts of the case, on November 11, 2008 Peters and his cousin were sitting on a step in the vicinity of Prevost Cinemall on Kings Lane when they saw four men passing by. Peters spoke to one of the men.

Subsequently, the accused returned and started a quarrel with Peters regarding the documents and removed a cutlass from under his shirt and lashed Peters at the side of his face and upper body. Peters sustained injuries that needed to be nursed at the hospital. His injuries were 10 centimeters long, and ranged from four to two centimeters deep.

During a search at the accused man’s home PC Gary Benjamin found two cutlasses, one of which was used at the scene of the crime.

“I take the cutlass by his foot and swing at him twice and it hit him,” Williams admitted to the police.

Peters claimed that Williams did not complete payments for the scooter. In mitigation, William’s lawyer Peter Alleyne stated that Peters never indicated during the investigations that he had not been fully paid.

Alleyne said his client did not come to the scene with the cutlass, but picked it up from the ground on the day of the incident.

“My instructions are that the virtual complainant told the accused he had given the papers to a third party. The virtual complainant attempted to pick up a stone and assault the accused and that was when he picked up the cutlass. He lost his tempers … he was not able to measure the length of the blow,” the defense lawyer stated.

Williams is willing to compensate the complainant if he accepts, Alleyne said.

According to Alleyne, the issue regarding the scooter’s documents has been ongoing for two years and Williams got aggravated when he sensed Peters’ dismissive attitude on that day. When Williams asked about the documents Peters told him not bother him because he had given it to another person, the court heard.

In response to a question from Justice Cottle, Peters said he did not want Williams to receive a jail sentence.

Meanwhile, Williams said that Peters instigated the conflict. “I tell him me that pay you $3,000, how you can give the papers to someone else? … He wanted to take a stone to hit me, so I pushed him and take a cutlass,” he added.

Judge Cottle admonished those involved in the act and asserted that young men should not be walking the streets of Roseau with cutlasses.

He ordered Williams to pay a fine of $2,000 in six months or face two years imprisonment. Additionally, he also has to pay Peters $2,000 in two months or in default face one year in jail.