Court warns man time running out on paying compensation to brother

While one of the Taitt brothers has fully paid his compensation order for attacking their other sibling five years ago, the other was reminded that he has less than four months to clear his balance or face 346 days in prison.

Enoch and Nathaniel Taitt reappeared before Madam Justice Pamela Backles in the No. 5 Supreme Court last Friday to give updates on the progress of their payments.

In April this year, the two were ordered to pay $5 000 each in compensation in 12 months or face the alternative prison term for unlawfully and maliciously inflicting serious bodily harm on Simon Foster, their brother, on November 22, 2018.

The two residents of Hope Road, St Lucy are represented by attorney Neville Reid who informed the court that while Enoch had fully paid up, Nathaniel had faced some difficulties in doing so as he was unemployed.

He told the court that Nathaniel had already paid $1 800 and recently got a job so would work to clear the balance before the due date.

Justice Beckles said, however, that according to court records, a balance of $3 500 was left outstanding and she urged him to settle that as quickly as possible.

“Right now, you have one foot over there at the prison because you have hardly made any payment at all,” she pointed out.

In addition to being ordered to pay compensation, the Taitt brothers were given a two-year suspended sentence.

The matter will be up for review again on April 5, 2024.

Regarding the incident that landed two of the three brothers in trouble, the court had heard that they were at home when Nathaniel insulted Simon, causing the latter to slap him with the flat side of a sword. There was a struggle between the two and Simon sustained cuts on his left hand.

Later in the evening, as he took a shower, Simon heard someone spraying under the bedroom floor, causing him to cough, and as he attempted to go through the bedroom window, he saw his brothers, one armed with a stick and the other with a sword. Nathaniel threw a stone, which struck him in the face, and when Foster jumped out of the window towards Nathaniel, Enoch ran Foster across the street and chopped him several times about the body.

Foster received multiple lacerations to his body and a fracture to his skull.