Bail for woman charged with cutlass attack

The Petit Bordel woman charged with malicious wounding after she allegedly almost severed her god-daughter’s arm with a cutlass on May 14 has been granted bail.

Margaret “Ole Gyal” Smith, 35, was granted EC$7,000 bail with one surety when she re-appeared at the Serious Offences Court in Kingstown on Friday.

She was granted bail after Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche told the court that the virtual complainant, Teresha Edwards, 20, also of Petit Bordel, has been released from hospital and was out of harm’s way.

The prosecutor told the court that should bail be considered, the Crown would ask for sufficient surety, reporting conditions of at least once per week, that the defendant surrender her travel document, seek permission to leave the jurisdiction, and that she has no contact with the virtual complainant.

The chief magistrate ordered Smith to report to the Chateaubelair Police Station on Mondays and Thursdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and also imposed the other bail conditions that the prosecution requested.

The matter was adjourned to Sept. 17 for trial.

Edwards has undergone what has been described as successful surgery.

She told iWitness News on Thursday that she has more than 70 stitches to her arm and has limited mobility in her fingers.

The unemployed mother has a cast and a bandage from her elbow to hand.

In one of two videos that surfaced last week, Edwards was attacked while holding her 1-year-old child in her arms by a woman who attempted to hit her with a large stone in her head while collaring her with one hand.

In another video, a woman looking exactly like the woman in the other video, chops Edwards on the arm after a scuffle between the attacker and another woman, who had, at one point, relieved the attacker of the cutlass.