She horn me, send me to St Ann’s

 No sooner had the charges been read out in court, a man accused of  murdering his former common-law wife and of attempting to murder his current common-law wife, shouted out, “I had a little thing for she (Augustine) ‘horning’  me. Yes I kill she.” Accused Anthony Atwell, 35, yesterday also asked Pt Fortin Magistrate Rae Roopchand to send him to the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital. Speaking to Roopchand before a packed first court, Augustine also told the magistrate not to waste time and  requested he send the case straight to the High Courts. “I tell yuh, I do it...send the case upstairs (the High Court) one time please,” he begged.
 
Atwell, wore a stern look on his face throughout yesterday’s proceedings to answer the charges of murdering his former common-law wife Gail Augustine, 29, of Berbice, Guyana and attempted murder of his current common-law wife, Cleopatra Spynes, of Coffee Street, San Fernando. Both incidents are alleged to have been committed on Monday in Pt Fortin. Both women were stabbed repeatedly and an autopsy subsequently carried out on Augustine’s body revealed she died of shock and haemorrhage consistent with stab wounds. Spynes remains warded in critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit of San Fernando General Hospital. After Roopchand read out the charges, Atwell, of Warden Road, Pt Fortin, said, “ah had a little thing fuh she (Augustine) ‘horning’  meh. Yes ah kill she.” Ag Insp Bharath was court prosecutor during the case yesterday, while Cpl Straker laid the charges against Atwell. Atwell raised his fingers at Roopchand and with a serious look on his face continued, “I tell yuh, I do it...send the case upstairs (the High Court) one time please.”

However, Roopchand reminded the accused that, “the law has to abide by the rules” and that a Preliminary Inquiry  must be held in the lower courts, before the magistrate rules on whether or not a prima facie case had been made out against Atwell, to necessitate the case being sent to the Criminal High Court to be tried before a judge and jury. Regarding Atwell’s request to be sent immediately to the St Anns Psychiatric Hospital,  Roopchand declared, “as far as I’m observing now, nothing is  wrong with you...I can’t help you, you understand everything you are saying.” The magistrate reminded Atwell that two weeks ago, when he appeared in court charged with wounding a man, he was fined $2,000 and asked if he (Atwell) wanted to be sent to hospital for psychiatric evaluation. At that time, Roopchand said, he (Atwell) refused to be sent to St Anns.

The magistrate surmised that if Atwell had accepted being sent to St Ann’s two weeks ago, he might not have returned to court to face murder and attempted murder charges. Atwell replied that at the time of the wounding charge, he was employed at Atlantic LNG and did not want to lose his job, hence the reason why he chose not to go to St Anns. As Atwell stood in the holding cell of the courtroom, he even reminded the Magistrate that he had failed to pay the $2,000 fine for the wounding case and was willing to begin serving time for that offence. Roopchand assured that once warrants were issued, he (Atwell) would get his wish. The Magistrate then adjourned the murder and attempted murder cases to November 7.