Prosecutors have called for a woman who stabbed a former friend in a fight to receive a two-year suspended sentence.

Nyree Turner, 22, pleaded guilty this year to a single charge of wounding in connection with the incident, which happened in Sandys on March 20, 2025.

During a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard that Turner had been friends with the complainant, Aliyah McCaskie, but the pair had a falling out some time prior to the incident.

At about 10.40pm on the night of the matter, Turner attended Champs Variety where Ms McCaskie was working. She then sat outside of the business on a bike talking with others in the area,

While Turner was outside, Ms McCaskie twice stepped out of the business and confronted Turner, instructing her to leave, but the defendant appeared to ignore her demands.

The situation escalated when Ms McCaskie came outside a third time.

The pair shouted at each other and Ms McCaskie challenging Turner to a fight once she was off work.

CCTV footage from the incident showed Turner put on her helmet, placed her right hand in her pocket and began to step off her bike when Ms McCaskie stepped towards her and began throwing punches.

Turner, meanwhile, was seen to make a stabbing motion to Ms McCaskie’s abdomen with an object, later confirmed to be a butterfly knife, in her right hand.

During the brief fight Turner was seen to drop the knife, pick it up and swing at Ms McCaskie again.

However, when Turner dropped the knife a second time, Ms McCaskie picked it up and lunged at Turner with it before the two separated.

Ms McCaskie went back into the store with the knife while Turner left the area on her bike.

Nathan Frick, for the Crown, said that it was only after the altercation that Ms McCaskie realised she had been stabbed. She later received treatment for two stab wounds to her upper abdomen and one to her back, which penetrated her liver.

Turner later turned herself into Hamilton Police Station after hearing that police were looking for her in connection with the incident.

Mr Frick said that wounding was a serious offence, noting the number of knife offences that have been reported on the island recently.

However, he also noted that Turner was a young woman with no previous convictions and a low risk of committing further violence offences, suggesting that she could benefit from rehabilitative interventions.

While Mr Frick said a two-year sentence would be appropriate, given Turner’s personal circumstances and the facts of the case, he suggested that the sentence be suspended for two years and paired with a two-year probation order.

Susan Mulligan, for Turner, noted that while her client had also been originally charged with possessing a prohibited weapon, that charge was dropped because butterfly knives only became a prohibited weapon months after the incident.

She said that Turner had found the knife and kept it because she thought it was cool, but she had no idea that the complainant would be at Champs Variety and had not gone there with the intention of starting a confrontation.

Ms Mulligan said Turner pleaded guilty to the offence at the earliest opportunity, describing her as a bright girl with great potential but struggling with past trauma and a “social media campaign” against her.

She supported the notion of a suspended sentence, but said Turner had hoped to leave the island to further her education and urged the court to issue a sentence that would not prevent that.

Ms Mulligan said: “We say in the circumstances of this case the best way to specifically deter or assist Turner is to let her leave the jurisdiction.

“This is a small place. There’s no way if she stays here that she’s not going to run into these girls somewhere.”

Turner herself apologised for the harm that she had caused, adding: “I would like the court to know this is not who I am and I know I shouldn’t have had a knife nor used it.”

Puisne Judge Alan Richards reserved his decision on sentence until Monday, releasing Turner on bail until then.

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