Argument over wife earns Itaballi porter 20 years in jail

Nov 24, 2017 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

A man was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, after he appeared before a Judge and a Jury in the Suddie Supreme Court on Thursday.
Arthur Taylor, of Itaballi, Mazaruni, was found guilty by the Jury for the Murder of Wayne Johnson.

20 years jail: Arthur Taylor

It is alleged that on August 2, 2014, the defendant Arthur Taylor, stabbed Wayne Johnson, to the left side chest, thus penetrating the heart of the deceased. Taylor’s defence was that Wayne Johnson fell on a broken bottle, and died as a result of the injuries sustained.
According to the murder accused, on the day in question an argument erupted between himself and Johnson on the Itaballi landing over the defendant’s wife. The accused later added that there was a scuffle between himself and the deceased. Taylor claimed that he acted in self-defense as Wayne Johnson was firing chops at him with a cutlass. At some point however the cutlass fell into the water, leaving Wayne Johnson unarmed. The accused said that as Wayne Johnson rushed towards him, he swung him on his stomach. The two men later took the fight overboard with Wayne Johnson on top of the defendant in a choke lock. The defendant said the fight ended when Chris Gibbs pulled Johnson off him in the water.
Chris Gibbs told his version of the story after he appeared as a witness in court last Thursday. Gibbs explained, “I heard a splash down at the landing, so I took my torch light and I went out to see what was going on. When I went out, I saw Wayne Johnson on top of the accused in a choke lock. I yelled at them multiple times and told them to stop.” Gibbs said. “The water was becoming reddish, so when the accused pushed off Wayne Johnson I rushed him to my boat to get medical attention.”
The Police after escorting Wayne Johnson to the Bartica hospital, found no murder weapon at the crime scene.
Johnson was pronounced dead at the Bartica Hospital. The doctor noted that the deceased sustained a single stab wound to the left chest about 11cm in depth. Police on the following day however retrieved a brown kitchen knife, with a missing rivet.
Taylor claimed the weapon after recognizing the missing rivet. He denied stabbing the deceased with the weapon.
The defendant’s attorney was unable to prove to the court that his client was innocent, and that Johnson did indeed die, after receiving a stab from a broken bottle. The prosecutor noted that the deceased could by no means fall on a bottle and sustain the injury when he was in a choke lock on top of the accused all the while. The prosecutor also noted that there’s a narrow probability that a bottle can make a single stab wound at 11cm depth.
After deliberating on the evidence for more than an hour, the Jury found Taylor guilty. The judge then passed sentence for the accused to serve 20 years imprisonment.

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