Man granted bail after allegedly beating man with pipe

A 60-year-old man accused of beating a 38-year-old about his body with a metal pipe was granted bail yesterday and therefore dodged spending Christmas in jail.

Gideon Peters is alleged to have unlawfully and maliciously inflicted grievous bodily harm on Casmore Lewis at around 4 pm, last week Monday, December 16.

For this charge, laid against him at the Serious Offences Court on Monday, December 23, he was not required to plea as it is laid indictable.

The prosecution, led by crown counsel Renée Simmons, informed the court that the prosecution was objecting to bail. She stated that Lewis is currently in the hospital and was housed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) over the weekend. However, the prosecutor admitted that she did not know if he was out of the ICU.

Peters’ lawyer Grant Connell stood to represent his client, starting by saying that Peters was very well known and had sufficient ties to the jurisdiction.

He was stopped in his submissions by Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne, who indicated that the fact the prosecution was unaware whether Lewis was still in the ICU is not sufficient. She asked them to “figure that out.”

Connell also made known his unease, saying that the last bail hearing that he was at, the prosecution made a claim about a patient who was in critical condition when in reality he had already been discharged from the hospital.

The matter was stood down temporarily.

When it was called back up again, the prosecution provided a more comprehensive report on the patient’s status.

Lewis is said to be suffering from a head wound to the left cheek, wounds to his extremities and wounds to the chest due to an alleged beating by a metal pipe.

Lewis was housed in the ICU over the weekend as he was bleeding in the head but he is now warded at the male surgical ward.

Connell yet again cast a shadow of doubt on the prosecution’s claim, because of the last time when they were misinformed.

He said that the officer who has charge of the matter should have taken the stand and given a report.

He further questioned the written medical report saying that nowhere on the report does it say that Lewis had an X-Ray done, which he felt would have been needed if there was bleeding in the head, or that he was warded at the ICU.

Although the report did not say these things, it also spoke of superficial wounds and swelling, the lawyer read.

The lawyer said that while in the hospital the victim is being cared for, and guarded. For his client, he submitted, “The shackles of bail could apply to him, he’s a law abiding citizen. This is an allegation.”

“He too has a report to make but he has not had a chance to report his injury because he was arrested and put in a cell,” Connell posited.

Simmons countered that the information the prosecution provided was from the officer in charge of the matter.

Referring to the defense, she told the magistrate, “Counsel is not a medical doctor and he cannot speak to issues on the medical report. The medical report in no way at any time,” gives a slot for saying where the patient is warded. Therefore, she said that Connell was misguiding the court.

However, if the court was minded to grant bail, she requested that conditions be attached.

Peters was allowed bail in the sum of $4000 with one surety. He is to have no contact with Lewis, although they both reside in Campden Park, and he is to report to the Questelles police station every Wednesday.

The matter was adjourned to April 7, 2020.