A man from Moruga has been acquitted of chopping his next door neighbour during a dispute over a property boundary in 2008.
Williace Rodriguez was found not guilty of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm at the end of his trial, last Friday.
It took a nine-member jury before Justice Devan Rampersad less than half an hour to return with the verdict for Rodriguez, of St Mary’s Village, Moruga.
Rodriguez was accused of attacking Andrew Gabaro on September 26, 2008.
Gabaro was installing a fence around his property when he argued with a female neighbour over the location where he was placing a fencing post.
The woman’s relatives Shazim Lalloosingh and Rodriguez reportedly grabbed a pair of cutlasses and intervened.
They reportedly planassed Gabaro with the flat side of the blades and he was chopped on his left hand in the process.
The duo fled the scene after other neighbours heard the commotion and came outside.
When they were eventually arrested, they were jointly charged with the crime.
In 2022, Lalloosingh pleaded guilty and was sentenced.
During his trial, which lasted four days, Rodriguez denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors had to rely on the statement that Gabaro gave to the police after the incident as he passed away before the case went to trial.
While being cross-examined by Rodriguez’s lawyer Michelle Ali, of the Public Defenders’ Department, PC Joseph Lambert was accused of performing an incomplete investigation as he only relied on Gabaro’s claims and did not take a statement from Rodriguez, who was willing to give his version of the events.
In her closing address before the jury, Ali highlighted numerous inconsistencies and implausibilities in the case including the medical reports, which did not correlate to Gabaro’s claims over the attack.
Rodriguez was also represented by Markus Issac.
