Marabella father of two Sylvester Anoop has admitted to using excessive force when he cuffed a man in his face during an argument over a bottle of rum. Anoop's victim, Martin Thomas, 32, suffered a fractured right orbit (eye socket), a bloodied eye and injuries to the wall of his right eye.
Anoop, 20, of Marabella, pleaded guilty to unlawfully assaulting Thomas, occasioning a wound, when he appeared on Thursday before acting Deputy Chief Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan. The incident occurred on April 18 at Marabella. He was arrested by Cpl Gregory Prescott. Magistrate Rambachan remarked: "That was quite a blow."
Thomas, a subcontractor, has to wear sunglasses to protect his eye as a result of the incident, but does not need surgery. Anoop told Rambachan: "I did hit him. I used excessive force. I was drunk, I did not need to hit him so hard." Anoop offered to pay Thomas compensation for his injuries.
Rambachan asked: "How can you ever compensate? Life is what we want for ourselves. Say he had done you that?" "I would understand," Anoop replied. "You are a man of great depth to understand that," Rambachan contended. Thomas declined the offer of compensation.
Court prosecutor attorney Ramdath Phillip said Thomas would seek compensation elsewhere. Rambachan said: "He is going to sue you in the High Court to get deep compensation from you, so I do not have to deal with that." Anoop said the incident happened days after he came out of jail.
He said he was liming in Marabella with friends at several bars, and left his bottle of rum on a table while he went to get a phone card. When he returned he saw a friend of Thomas' holding his bottle of rum and an argument broke out. Anoop said Thomas slapped him and he retaliated.
Phillip told the court around 9.15 pm on April 18, Thomas was walking along Union Road, when Anoop approached him and dealt him a cuff to the right side of face, causing injury to his right eye. He was treated at the San Fernando General Hospital. When confronted by police, Anoop said: "The man slap me and I cuff him back." He will reappear in court on Tuesday for sentencing.