– in December 2015 murder over ‘Puppy Tail’

A FIGHT over a girl named ‘Puppy Tail’ has resulted in the death of Mark Simon, also known as Mark Layne, and Byron Robertson, called “Bouse”, facing trial for manslaughter.

The incident reportedly occurred on December 27, 2015 in the vicinity of the Guinness Bar at Manchester Village, on the Corentyne.

Robertson, who was also indicted for unlawfully wounding Samuel Fraser on the same night that Simon met his demise, has pleaded not guilty to both offences, following his appearance before Justice Brassington Reynolds and a mixed jury, and is represented by Defence Counsel Arun Gossai.

State Prosecutrix Tuanna Hardy, in her opening address, said there was a fight at a bar at Manchester, during which Mark Simon sustained a fatal wound to his thigh, and the peacemaker, Samuel Fraser was injured.
An eyewitness, one Joshua Smith of Liverpool Village, gave evidence saying that it was customary for the “Guinness Bar” to host parties every Sunday at Manchester, and that he and his uncle, the late Mark Simon, and some friends were drinking at a table when the accused approached and an argument ensued.

Said Smith: “I did not know what the argument was about, but Byron Robertson left and went to the back of the bar; seconds later, Mark Simon followed.
“I cannot say what my uncle told him, but I saw Byron running away and returning with a cutlass in his hand.
“They argued; Byron fired a chop; he missed.  They started to fight. Mark was on the ground; Byron was cuffing him.
“They got up; they armed themselves with cutlasses and were firing chops. Samuel Fraser and I took away the cutlasses, as we tried to part them. I got a cut on my forehead.
“They punched each other; they fell to the ground. There were two street lights illuminating in opposite directions. Byron was cuffing Mark.
“I saw a knife in Byron’s waist; Byron took it out and inflicted a ‘juk’ on Mark’s thigh. I told my girlfriend to wrap Mark’s foot to stop the bleeding. On the way to the hospital, Mark was not moving. Kempton Gray had accompanied us.”

Questioned by Gossai, the defence counsel, about the veracity of his story, Smith replied that he had very good reason to lie to the police, but not to the magistrate.

He also denied allegations that his uncle, Mark Simon, was armed with a cutlass when he ran behind the accused, Byron, and that he, Smith, was not there when the incident occurred.

He, however, admitted that it was the first time he’d ever mentioned trying to part the fight. The witness confessed telling the lower court that he did not know where about his body his uncle was injured.

He also admitted that the fight was over a young lady in their neighbourhood called “Puppy tail”, and swore what he was saying was the truth.

In his evidence, Detective Constable Corwin Mitchel recalled that after putting the allegation of murder to the accused while he was a discharged patient at the New Amsterdam Hospital, Robertson, under caution, replied:
“Sir, me ain’t know nothing; somebody chop he.” This he did moments before he was escorted to the Whim Police Station.

The plainclothes policeman recalled, too, that at the time he’d visited the hospital, Robertson had lacerations on his back, left knee and head. His left foot was also in a cast.
He further testified that when the allegation of murder was put to the accused on December 30, 2015,  the police had not yet completed their investigations.

Another sleuth, Detective Sergeant Michael Peters noted that after contacting the accused at the Whim Station, he recalled hearing Robertson say:
“I did not chop Simon; it was Simon who chopped me with a cutlass on my head, my eyes, my back and my left foot.”

But when questioned by Gossai, this same Peters said he could not recall who was the investigation rank. All that he remembers, he said, was that when the investigation began, he got the distinct impression that it had to do with the double murder of Mark Simon and Kempton Gray.

He also recalled witnessing the post-mortem examination on Simon and not Gray, although he had seen the latter’s body lying at the New Amsterdam mortuary.
The autopsy was conducted by Dr Vivikanand Brijmohan, who reported that the cause of death was shock and haemorrhage along with a stab wound to the thigh.

Meanwhile, Woman Detective Deslyn Whyte took photographic exposures of items found at the scene, which included a pair of black- and-white sneakers, a red top, a black camouflage cap, a stainless steel knife with black handle, and a grey gent’s vest.
The knife, she said, was not tested for fingerprints.
Another witness, one Alice Simon, mother of the deceased, recalled seeing her son at around 14:00hrs on that fateful day as he rode past her house on his bicycle.

Hours later, amidst pouring rain, she was told the dreadful news, but could do little about it at the time, because of the weather.

The following day, after travelling to the New Amsterdam Hospital, she saw the motionless body of her son in an icebox at the mortuary, where she later identified his remains to the Government pathologist Dr Brijmohan.
Simon told the jury, too, that she knew the accused since childhood, and that he and her son were always at war over girls.
The trial is continuing.