Wounding victim begs mercy for grandson

A St James man, who reportedly cut his grandfather's hand and hit him in the head during a confrontation in March, got off with a stern warning last Friday, after the complainant asked the St James Parish Court to show him mercy.

Tico Johnson, of a Flanker address, was before the court to answer to the charge of unlawful wounding. The court was told that on March 22, the complainant was on his way home when he was accosted by Johnson. It is alleged that the defendant brandished a knife and stabbed at his grandfather several times, cutting him on his hand, and then hit him in the head, causing a wound which bled.

"How are your wounds, are they healed?" presiding Parish Judge Kacia Grant-Pryce asked the complainant after the allegations were outlined. "Yes, I am fine," the complainant answered.

"Do you want the matter to go to trial?" asked Grant-Pryce. "No, I would like to give him [Johnson] a break. Just set him free and tell him to avoid me," the complainant replied.

Following that request, the prosecution made a no-evidence motion to discontinue the case against Johnson. However, Grant-Pryce gave him a firm lecture in which she warned him to improve his behaviour.

"This is your lucky day, as your grandfather says that he does not want to continue the matter. If you smoke ganja, you need to stop, because it makes you do erratic things," Grant-Pryce told Johnson before allowing him to leave the courtroom.