A Brazilian national was yesterday charged with use a cutlass to chop a policeman, who was forced to shoot him.
Miner Himundo Ferrier Nascimento, 42, who told the court he was drunk at the time of the attack, was admitted to bail in the sum of $500,000 when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The allegation against him is that on July 28 at Five Miles Arakaka North West District, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded police officer Kurt Crawford.
Through his interpreter, Nascimento said that he was drunk at the time of the incident when the court requested his plea to the charge. His attorney subsequently indicated to the court that his client was not guilty.
The prosecutions’ case is that on the day in question, police on duty had responded to report when Crawford was confronted by the defendant, who attacked him.
According to Prosecutor Denise Griffith-Jacobis, Crawford and other ranks were conversing with the victim of the report, to which they had responded along with the defendant’s wife, when the defendant armed himself with a cutlass which was nearby. The prosecutor said that Nascimento began to deal Crawford several chops to the back of his head.
Crawford, who was armed with his firearm at the time, the court heard, shot at the accused three times, wounding him in the process.
The court was further told that persons in the area along with other ranks pursued the defendant, who was later apprehended, while Crawford was taken to the hospital where he was treated.
Nascimento’s attorney, who asked for reasonable bail for his client, said that he was a miner and temporarily resided at Kara Kara Settlement, in the North West District.
The lawyer said that his client was held in custody for more than 72 hours after receiving treatment for the injuries he sustained as a result of the shooting. He added that the defendant was only released from custody after he filed habeas corpus proceedings in the High Court.
The lawyer said too that apart from the gunshot injuries his client sustained, he was also gun-butted by the police.
The prosecution had no objections to the bail application made by the defence.
After listening to the submissions on both sides, Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry placed Nascimento on $500,000 bail and the case was transferred to the Matthews’ Ridge Magistrate’s Court for today.
