A Greenland 25-year-old was charged with wounding on Tuesday in connection with a stabbing last week that allegedly left the victim holding his intestines in his hands.
Callique Collins, 25, of Greenland, was granted $90,000 bail by Magistrate Ayanna Baptiste-DaBreo after Crown Counsel Tamara Foster alleged that he stabbed Dillon Quammie, 21, of Paraquita Bay, on July 9.
As of Tuesday morning, Mr. Quammie was still in the Intensive Care Unit at Peebles Hospital suffering from a stab wound to his abdomen, and he was expected to be there for at least two more weeks, according to the prosecution.
Mr. Collins walked into the courtroom with his arm in a sling and a brace around one of his fingers. Many of his supporters attended court that day.
The allegations
During the court appearance, Ms. Foster said the Crown charged Mr. Collins for wounding with intent rather than the attempted murder charge he was brought in on by police last week. She outlined the allegations and read aloud a police report, Mr. Quammie’s statement, and a witness’s account.
According to the police report, East End officers responded to a call at around 8:12 p.m. on July 9 and heard that a man had been transported to Peebles Hospital after a physical altercation in Fat Hogs Bay.
He lost three pints of blood and suffered circulatory shock, according to the prosecution.
Mr. Quammie underwent surgery for the stab wound and was placed in the ICU. He told police that he and Mr. Collins had known each other for ten years and used to play dominoes at a “Spanish bar” in Fat Hogs Bay, Ms. Foster said.
He added that on the night of the wounding, he saw Mr. Collins walking toward H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and asked him for $40 that he loaned him months ago, the court heard. Mr. Collins said he would repay him shortly after the money was borrowed, but he never did, Ms. Foster said.
Mr. Quammie said he asked Mr. Collins again for the money, and that Mr. Collins got angry. Mr. Collins approached him, and he felt a “hot sensation” before striking Mr. Collins in self-defence, he said. When he touched the area of the wound, he realised he was holding his intestines, according to prosecution.
As he called for help, a passerby saw him, put him in the back of a pickup truck, and drove him to the hospital.
Case for self-defence
The prosecution also disclosed a witness’s account of the incident. According to the witness, the incident began when Mr. Quammie took the hat off Mr. Collins’ head and threw it away.
“I want my money: Else I’m gonna mash you up if I don’t get my money,” the witness recalled Mr. Quammie saying, according to Ms. Foster.
When Mr. Collins took out a knife, he told Mr. Quammie to “leave [him] alone,” according to the witness’s statement.
Mr. Quammie responded, “Since you’re ready to pull out a knife, you better use it,” according to the statement.
After that, Mr. Quammie was seen “smashing” Mr. Collins’ head before he was stabbed, according to the witness statement read by the prosecutor.
The witness also saw Mr. Quammie’s intestines hanging out of his body, the court heard.
Contradictory statements
Defence attorney Patrick Thompson, when arguing for bail, pointed out contradictions between the witness’s statement and Mr. Quammie’s account.
He also noted that on the night of the altercation, police said that Mr. Collins willingly came to the East End Police Station around 9:30 p.m. with his attorney and informed the police about a “situation” earlier that night.
In response to the prosecution’s request for cash bail, Mr. Thompson said there was a strong argument for self-defence. He added that Mr. Collins sought medical attention as a result of the altercation.
Mr. Collins has no previous convictions and is currently em- ployed “sporadically” as a construction worker, according to the attorney. Mr. Thompson suggested that Ms. Baptiste-DaBreo order him to report to the East End Police Station regularly instead of remanding him to prison.
Ms. Baptiste-DaBreo agreed with Mr. Thompson that the statements were contradictory. She ordered Mr. Collins to report to the station three times a week and granted him bail of $90,000.
The indictable offence will be dealt with in High Court and is scheduled to resume on Sept.26.
On Monday Police Commissioner Michael Matthews warned that acts of violence will face the full force of the law.
“Any persons who allegedly arm themselves with any form of weapon to commit an offence only place themselves and others at risk, and will face the consequences of their actions through the laws of the territory,” Mr. Matthews said in a police press release.