A 23-year-old Sandys Parish man was found guilty of a vicious attack that saw his victims showered with glass bottles and one knocked unconscious after a a mop-stick blow to the head.

At a Magistrates' Court trial last Thursday, Crown counsel Robert Welling described how Nestah Eugene Woods, of Main Road, "terrorised" Stephen Tucker and his friends while they were leaving a Dockyard concert on July 2, 2006.

Mr. Welling told the court that Raymond Jones, the intended target, along with neighbours Mr. Tucker, Tanya Vanessa Swan and her son, were walking to their car.

It was in the early hours of the morning and their car was parked near the Snorkel Park.

According to Mr. Tucker, who sustained multiple lacerations to his body and received stitches in both sides of his mouth, a group of young men ambushed them.

Mr. Tucker testified that while it was only Mr. Jones the group was after, he attempted to thwart the violence before they turned on him.

Subsequently, Ms Swan and the other men managed to jump into the car and frantically drove off with a smashed back windscreen and not without struggling to avoid the bottles and the flying fists.

"All of a sudden," Mr. Tucker recalled, "(Woods) came and ran up and next thing I known we were exchanging blows and I don't know why.

"Raymond was walking towards the car and (Woods) took off in the yard and came back with a two-and-a-half foot, two-by-four, I told them, 'come on, we're all black brothers, why are you doing this?'"

He managed to strike the object from Woods' hands, causing Woods to demand it back.

Mr. Tucker continued: "(Woods) then went into someone's yard and came back with a mop stick and he hit me on my shoulder with it— I was just trying to block and protect myself.

"I've got scars on my shoulder from the stick. One of the guys was sneaking around with a crash helmet, trying to sneak in their blows.

"It all happened so fast. Tanya was yelling at me to get into the car and I got hit in the head and next thing I know, I'm in the ambulance with my head split.

"I had to be knocked out because I don't recall being struck though I must have been unconscious for ten to 15 minutes.

"It seemed to me that (Woods) was the main ring-leader pushing the issue."

Under cross examination by defence lawyer Larry Scott, Mr. Tucker conceded he had initially told Police in a statement that he was not able to identify all of the men involved that night — they are believed to be in their early 20s.

However, he affirmed he was positive his main attacker was Woods, because of his "bushy eyebrows".

"I must put it to you that you could not be sure that you could identify my client because the lighting in the area was poor and because of the blows and bottles upon you, you never got to see his face," suggested Mr. Scott.

"No, that's not correct," replied Mr. Tucker.

Ms Swan was also called as a witness and reiterated Mr. Tucker's version of events — when she and the others got into her car, one of the attackers smashed her back window, forcing her to drive off, with Mr. Tucker fending off the thugs.

Woods took the stand in his own defence, saying he was innocent, never in Dockyard on the night in question and suggested the accusers had him mistaken for someone else.

During a heated cross-examination by Mr. Welling, Woods claimed: "I've never been in a fight for years— somehow they (the victims) called my name and I never was in Dockyard."

When pressed by Mr. Welling to give a satisfactory account of his whereabouts that night, Woods said he could not remember, but insisted he was never at Dockyard.

In closing remarks, Mr. Welling said Woods had weeks before being interviewed by Police and never sought to back up his alibi, which was an acknowledgement of his guilt.

He said: "It was clear the occurrence was a part of a common enterprise with other young men who were there to settle a score."

Additionally, Mr. Scott argued that his client should not be judged by the fact that he could not remember his whereabouts at the time of the incident, as that explanation was "logical".

Mr. Tokunbo found him guilty of the unlawful wounding of Mr. Tucker, criminal damage for Ms Swan's window, an estimated $1,300 to repair, and to causing an affray.

He ordered a social inquiry report and the matter is scheduled for mention on July 31.