Facebook message leads to attempted murder charge

(Trinidad Express) A message which was posted on Facebook was said to be the reason why three women allegedly beat another before stabbing her multiple times two weeks ago.

The three accused, Vanessa Valley, 20, Khiella Cox, 18, and Sachel Thomas, 18, appeared on Monday before Magistrate Brian Dabideen in the Port of Spain Seventh Court charged with attempting to murder Rachael Arneaud on December 12.

The court heard that, on the day of the incident, the three accused confronted Arneaud on Charlotte Street, Port of Spain.

They questioned her about the message she posted and the argument soon ended in a fight. One of the accused allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Arneaud four times.

She was taken to the Port of Spain Hospital, where she was treated and has since been discharged.

The trio were arrested last week, and were not called upon to plead when they appeared in court.

Valley, of Point Cumana, Cox of Laventille, and Thomas, were represented by defence attorneys Liana Ramsahai, Fareed Ali and Milliard Howell respectively.

All three attorneys were successful in obtaining cash bail for their clients in the sum of TT$5,000.

Said Dabideen: ’You are lucky the prosecution did not object to bail. If it was up to me you would be spending the new year in jail… A message over Facebook?

It has to be something where someone said something about somebody boyfriend, or somebody took away somebody boyfriend. It has to be something like that.’