Two men, who were charged with wounding each other following an argument over a girl, were yesterday placed on $50,000 bail each when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Twenty-five-year-old Imran Sattaur denied that on December 30, at Hadfield Street, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded 28-year-old Lawrence George of Robb Street, Bourda, who had also denied wounding him.
Both men had bruised faces and displayed several lacerations and stitches to their hands and arms and George’s right hand was in a sling. They both pleaded not guilty to their separate charges of unlawful wounding when Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson read them.
George stated that he had sustained chop wounds to his left shoulder, right palm and several stab wounds about his body as a result of the altercation with Sattaur.
Sattaur stated that he sustained chop wounds to both palms, several wounds to his abdomen and injuries to his left eye.
Sattaur told the court that on the day in question he and his friend were on a bicycle at Hadfield Street on their way to his home, when George, who was holding a cutlass and a glass bottle, accompanied by two others, approached them.
He said George started to use abusive language towards him and pelted the glass bottle at him.
He said he dodged it but George then fired a chop with the cutlass and he caught it in his hand. He said he had held out his hand in an attempt to block the chop from hitting his body.
He said his friend ran away and he also tried to escape by running into the National Insurance Scheme compound, but George followed him and started to break the company’s louvre windows when he couldn’t get to him.
He said it was only the persistence of the company’s guards warding George off that kept him alive.
George, who appeared surprised at Sattaur’s allegation, told the court, “this boy could never speak de truth”.
He said he was the victim in the matter since it was he who was attacked by Sattaur, who had a cutlass in one hand and a screw-driver in the other and was accompanied by two men.
He said he had a friend with him at the time but when Sattaur started to fire chops at him, his friend ran away. He said when his friend realised that the men would have brutalised him, the friend turned back and pelted a beer bottle that he had in his hand at the time towards Sattaur.
He said the two other men then chased after his friend, who was running for his life, leaving him and Sattaur.
George went on to say that Sattaur then fired a chop with the cutlass at him but he caught the blade of the cutlass in his hand.
He said a struggle for the cutlass ensued during which, Sattaur kicked him in his abdomen and then stabbed him when he fell to the ground. He said Sattaur then dealt him a chop to his right arm.
He alleged that even before this incident, on several occasions, Sattaur had threatened to kill him because he had a relationship with Sattaur’s ex-girlfriend.
Prosecutor Stephen Telford told the court that the female had a relationship with both Sattaur and George. He said Sattaur told the female unpleasant things about George which she later related to George. The magistrate then ordered that both men report to the probation office and transferred the matter to Court Three for February 2.
