The complainant in the serious bodily harm trial of accused Randy Jamar Codrington says he has been paralyzed from the neck down.
Codrington, of Bottom Close, Wildey, St Michael, is accused of unlawfully causing serious bodily harm to Xavier Highland, on October 15, 2005, with intent to maim, disfigure or disable him or to cause serious bodily harm to him. He is also facing a charge of unlawfully and maliciously inflicting serious bodily harm on the complainant.
Highland was wheeled into the No. 2 Supreme Court on Tuesday on a stretcher, aided by Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), to give evidence before the jury in the court presided over by Justice Randall Worrell.
Answering questions posed by Senior Crown Counsel Olivia Davis, he revealed that on the morning of the incident, he borrowed a bicycle and went riding. While coming up a gap in his neighbourhood, he saw Codrington and Kevern Marshall (now deceased) on the same road. He explained that he made a right turn and “when I look back they were right behind me”.
“After that, I just wake up in the hospital,” the complainant stated.
Highland also said Codrington had a knife and bottle in his hand while the other man had bottles. He said he and the men were not friends.
As a result of the incident, he revealed that he spent some six months in hospital – one month of which he spent in the Intensive Care Unit. Highland denied doing anything to Codrington and Marshall prior to the incident.
“The injury has left me paralyzed from my neck down . . . . I am in bed mostly all day . . . . I have limited use of my hand,” he told the court.
Under cross examination by defence counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens, the complainant revealed that he went outside despite a warning from his mother not to do so, adding that he was not aware that there was an issue at that time between his friends and the two men.
Highland acknowledged that there were some issues between his and Codrington’s neighbourhoods. However, he disagreed with a suggestion put by Mitchell-Gittens that he knew there was a situation involving some of his friends, Codrington and Marshall.
He also disagreed with the suggestions that he had a knife and went to his friends’ assistance and attacked the two men.
The trial continues on Thursday.
