Murder accused remanded on wounding charge

The 24-year-old Round Rock, Silver Sands, Christ Church man was charged with causing Shaneil Edwards grievous bodily harm on February 28, this year.

Magistrate Alison Burke, sitting in the Bridgetown Traffic Court of the District “A” Magistrates’ Court, remanded him until April 10.

Prosecutor Sergeant, Ralph Rollock, objected to bail pointing out that the accused was already on bail on a capital offence, the virtual complainant was still hospitalised and granting bail would not be in the interest of the public, which must be protected.

Senior Counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens said the murder charge was from six years ago and it was no fault of the accused that it has not yet gone to trial. She said the court must not only look at the fact that Wiggins was on bail but his conduct while on the outside as he had been adhering to the conditions.

She said he had been reporting to the Oistins Police Station three times a week, the last time being on Monday during which he was detained on the present matter but it showed that he was not trying to hide. The accused, she said, had a strong defence to the matter and without any previous convictions, the prosecutor could not show a propensity to repeat the offences.

Wiggins has not missed a court date, she told the court.

Remand, Mitchell-Gittens said, was only justified in a wounding matter if the charge was likely to be upgraded but not for a complainant who is “stable”.

Wiggins’ other charge was that of  murdering 23-year-old Kesmar Shaquille Codrington on February 16, 2018.