Beaten man dies at hospital

AFTER languishing in a coma for ten days with massive skull fractures, a 21-year-old Vessigny man lost the battle for life and succumbed to his injures at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) on Friday afternoon.

Alvin Celestine, of La Brea, remained in a coma at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the SFGH, after being brought to the institution with massive head injuries on the night of August 19. This after he was beaten into a coma by a man who used a broken piece of iron pipe. The incident occurred during a football game. A 20-year-old man was detained by police hours after the beating, but was subsequently released by police on instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson, who ruled that the man had beaten Celestine in self-defence. However, with Celestine’s death, police sources say they intend to send the case file back to the DPP for further directions. They also intend to forward to the DPP, the results of the autopsy which is scheduled to be carried out next Tuesday at the Forensic Sciences Centre, Federation Park, St James.

According to police reports, Celestine and the 20-year-old man were playing football at Vessigny beach when Celestine became enraged following a tackle during the game. Celestine reportedly started arguing with the 20-year-old man and later left the scene, only to return several minutes later with a cutlass. It is reported that Celestine attacked the man and dealt him a chop across the chest. The man, who also lives in La Brea, retaliated by grabbing a length of discarded iron pipe which was lying on the beach, and striking Celestine three times on the head. Celestine collapsed on the sand, and was rushed to hospital by other players.