Forde charged with wounding uncle

A 29-year-old man accused of chopping his uncle with a cutlass claimed that he was only defending himself in the incident that landed him before the court and his relative in hospital.

Stephen Daniel Forde, a resident of Lower Ifill Road, Flagstaff, St Michael is
accused of wounding Francis Forde on March 27, 2023, with intent to maim, disfigure or disable him or to do some serious bodily harm to him.

The accused could not plead to the indictable charge when it was read to him by Magistrate Alison Burke in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

In objecting to bail for Forde, Police Constable Ralph Rollock pointed to the nature and seriousness of the charge, noting that the accused’s uncle was still hospitalised although information was that his injuries were not life-threatening.

The prosecutor added that the alleged attack was “committed with a cutlass” and appeared to have been unprovoked.

He said although the accused had no previous convictions, there was a need to protect the complainant and society. The two parties, the prosecutor revealed, reside in close proximity.

In his application for bail, Forde told the court he was defending himself. 

“I am not aggressive; I will clearly like to say that,” he stated. “I was defending myself and I had no choice. . . . I believe I should be given a chance to go home because this is not a regular occurrence for me. I don’t go around the place attacking people. Anything
that I did was in self-defence. I am not a troublemaker, I don’t have any other previous offences . . . . I want to live a good and productive life.”

Despite his plea for bail, Magistrate Burke ordered that the accused be remanded until April 27.