A defence lawyer branded a teenage shooting victim "an idiot" for trying to interfere with a juror in the case.

Shawn Williams, 18, landed himself in hot water after speaking to the male juror at Supreme Court last week.

Mr. Williams suffered serious injuries when he was shot in the back at a late night reggae party at the Royal Artillery Association club in St. George's on April 4.

One of his friends, Khyri Smith-Williams, 19, from Sandys, is accused of bringing the weapon into the club.

A St. George man, Dwayne Signor, 29, is accused of grabbing the gun from Smith-Williams and using it to shoot Mr. Williams.

When Mr. Williams gave evidence last Tuesday, he said he was drunk at the time of the shooting and can recall little. He was unable to identify anyone involved in the incident.

Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons had to issue a warning to the jury when it emerged that he approached one of their number in the court precincts after giving his evidence.

Referring to that incident yesterday, Smith-Williams' defence lawyer Jerome Lynch QC suggested Mr. Williams did anything but help his friend through his actions.

"Shawn Williams, a so-called friend. This young man? I hope he never speaks to him again. An idiot, deserving of whatever punishment is meted out to him by this judge for his blatant contempt of court," he remarked.

Mr. Lynch said after Mr. Williams' evidence in the case, "Within two hours, he's out there trying to tap one of you up. Idiot. Thankfully it's got nothing to do with Khyri. It could so easily have led to a complete retrial."

Signor and Smith-Williams deny the charges against them and a verdict in the case is expected today.