Benjamin holding a knife some time before Michael David Robson was stabbed.

But only one, Dwayne White, told a Supreme Court jury that he saw Benjamin thrust a knife into Robson's temple.

"They were arguing and Michael (Robson) punched Randy (Benjamin) twice in the face first,'' said White. "Randy staggered and came back with a knife from his right side and thrust it into his head.

"I'm not sure what I did next, if I closed my eyes or whatever, but I walked back to my car to let my friends know what was going on. Michael just went down. He just dropped.'' Benjamin, 27, of Lusher Hill, Warwick, is charged with attempting to murder Michael David Robson wounding him with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon.

All three offences are alleged to have occurred during the early morning hours of July 19, 1993.

White said that after the stabbing, fighting broke out and lasted for some time and Robson tried unsuccessfully to pull the knife out of his head.

Similar testimony came from Roger Fox who arrived at the Ice Queen after an evening at the Spinning Wheel.

He said he saw Benjamin with a knife while he placed an order at the counter.

"That did not faze me,'' Fox said. "I've seen that kind of thing many times.'' In other evidence, taxi driver Ewing Tucker said he picked up Benjamin and two Rastafarian friends outside the Clayhouse Inn at about 2.45 a.m. and they asked him to take them to the Ice Queen restaurant in Paget before continuing to their homes in Warwick.

Outside Devonshire Recreation Club, Tucker said he was asked to stop the car so that one of the passengers could remove some liquid he split on his clothing.

During that time Benjamin, who was still seated in the car, pulled a knife from a bag he was carrying and started to fiddle with it before placing it in his pocket.

Under cross examination from Mr. Philip Perinchief, who is representing Benjamin, Tucker admitted he did not know how Benjamin was holding the knife because he saw it at a glance, but was adamant that he remembered seeing a knife.

He also denied defence suggestions that the "flicking'' sound he heard in his car that night could have come from a cigarette lighter.

"I figured he (Benjamin) was expecting trouble,'' Tucker said. "Because he said he was taking it out just in case someone messed with them.'' Dr. Terrance Elliott, who removed the knife from Robson's head after a 30 minute operation, said the brown handled knife was "firmly embedded'' in his right temple.

The entire blade, he said, some four to five inches, had penetrated into Robson's brain and was bent at a 20-30 degree angle.

Dr. Elliott said this indicated that "severe force'' was used.

Consequently, Robson, of Middle Road, Southampton, had incurred damage to millions of brain nerve cells which will never heal.

Since the blade penetrated into the brain's central area, it damaged important pathways which are significant because each pathway controls different bodily functions.

At Mr. Perinchief's suggestion, Dr. Elliott said it was possible that the knife could have become embedded because of Robson's fall on the concrete.

The trial continues on Monday before Puisne judge the Hon. Mr. Justice Ground.

Mr. Khamisi Tokunbo appears for the Crown.