The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A 29-year-old man who claimed he hit another man with a pipe in self-defence was found guilty yesterday of assault with a dangerous instrument.

Williamson Garvconvil was convicted of the offence by Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans at the conclusion of his trial. He was ordered to pay a fine and compensate the victim.

The senior magistrate’s ruling came shortly after the victim, Sam Stubbs Jr, and two witnesses gave testimony against Garvconvil concerning last year’s incident.

Stubbs, who was the first to take the witness stand, told the court he had just arrived in the Wulff Road area before the argument occurred.

He said he was sitting on a wall in the community when two men approached him and started hitting him with an iron pipe.

The witness said he recognised Garvconvil as one of his attackers and claimed he reported the matter to police shortly after the incident happened.

When asked by the Crown prosecutor about his injuries, Stubbs told the court the attack left his hand broken in three places.

He also claimed he underwent surgery because of the injuries.

However, during cross-examination, Garvconvil, who was not represented by an attorney, accused Mr Stubbs of being the actual aggressor in the situation.

Garvconvil, who was living in an apartment building, claimed he had approached Mr Stubbs on the night in question and asked him to leave the area.

He claimed Mr Stubbs and his friends would usually gather near his home and use obscene language in front of his children.

However, he said Mr Stubbs pulled a knife on him when he approached him on the night in question, which prompted him to act in self-defence.

He further suggested that Mr Stubbs’ injuries were self-inflicted.

“He kept swinging the knife at me and that’s how his hands got injured,” the accused told the court.

However, the witness denied the claims.

Police officer Rashad Thurston was the next witness to take the stand.

Mr Thurston testified of his role in arresting Garvconvil.

The police officer told the court he was on duty on October 13 of last year when he and other officers received information about the accused.

Mr Thurston said that after being given certain instructions, he and other officers went to Hardings Food store on Wulff Road where they saw Garvconvil.

The police officers said they arrested the accused after informing him of the allegations made against him.

However, the accused tried to challenge the police officer’s testimony, insisting that he never arrested him.

“I turned myself in… I never saw him in my life,” Garvconvil told the court.

Also testifying in the trial yesterday was Police Sergeant Jarad Miller.

Sgt Miller told the court how he interviewed the accused in reference to the allegations after his arrest.

Sgt Miller said during his interview, Garvconvil admitted the offence.

Having listened to the witnesses’ testimonies, the accused then made a no-case submission that the prosecution’s case was based on evidence that was not accurate.

In response, the magistrate said she found the accused guilty, noting his lack of evidence to support his claim of acting in self defence.

“There was no evidence the defendant was in fear of his life or in jeopardy of his home or children,” Magistrate Vogt-Evans said.

Garconvil was subsequently fined $500 or five months in prison and further ordered to compensate Mr Stubbs $700 for the injuries caused.

He has a right to appeal the magistrate’s decision to the Supreme Court within seven days.