Burnham stabbed man at dance -court hears

Stephon Campbell, also known as ‘Burnham,’ was remanded to prison yesterday on a charge of unlawful wounding.

Appearing before acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson, Campbell pleaded not guilty to the allegation that on April 10 at West Ruimveldt he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Melroy Poole.

Attorney Mohammed Zafar, who sought bail for Campbell, said he has a fixed place of abode and would attend court when required. Campbell is the defendant in another wounding case, for which he was out on bail.

Poole told the court that he was at a “dance” and there was a problem between his cousin and a girl and he sought to resolve it.  However, a man who was in the company of the girl subsequently threw a bottle at him and a group of young men surrounded him.  At that point, he ran away. The men pursued Poole and he alleged that Campbell caught up to him and stabbed him in the groin.

Police prosecutor Inspector Stephen Telford said that the fact that Poole tried to get away from the men showed that he tried to avoid a confrontation.  It was Campbell who ran behind him and stabbed him. Telford asked the court to consider the seriousness of the offence and Campbell being before the court charged with a similar offence.

Zafar said that Campbell indicated to him that it was someone identified as “Tripper”-one of the men in the group-who committed the act. Telford, however, replied that Poole had identified Campbell as his assailant. As a result, bail was refused.

The matter was transferred to Court 2 for April 29.