Supreme Court trial of a Sandys man who denies stabbing a man at the Clayhouse Inn last year.

Jamaine Quidir Salaam, 19, of Beacon Hill, denied unlawfully wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm to Don Stanley Allan Wilson.

The alleged offence occurred at the North Shore club during the early morning hours of August 29, 1993.

Wilson, 22, told the court that he had finished a drink and was mingling with patrons before making his way back to the bar.

"It was crowded,'' he said. "I had to say excuse me a lot. I tapped him (Salaam) on the arm and he braced himself. I tried to squeeze through to get by but he pushed me in my chest. I pushed him back and the bouncer came between us. He (the bouncer) told me to chill out. The guy (Salaam) pulled a knife. He was standing behind the bouncer. I went for the knife so he wouldn't use it on me. I ended up cutting my right hand.'' Wilson said he told the bouncer that Salaam had a knife.

"When I went forward the bouncer blocked me and the guy came from behind and stabbed me in my stomach with his right hand. I grabbed where he stabbed me and my legs gave way and I fell.'' Wilson's version of events, however, differed from statements Salaam made to Police on two occasions after the incident.

Det. Con. Terrance Maxwell, who interviewed Salaam after the incident, read both statements in court.

In the first statement, Salaam said that he was talking to a girl when Wilson pushed him.

"I just turned and he pushed me,'' the statement said. "Some guys pulled him off. I said `I'm sorry.' He (Wilson) punched me and I stabbed him. I then went outside.'' After Salaam made the first statement, a second one composed of questions and answers was recorded.

Salaam said he arrived at the Clayhouse Inn around 11.00 on the Saturday night. Later that evening, he recalled backing into Wilson and possibly stepping on his toes.

"He just punched me,'' Salaam said to Police questions.

"I turned to him and shrugged and he came at me. Some guys pulled him away and told him to cool it. He just came back and punched me in the jaw. I pulled my knife out from my pocket and stabbed him.'' Salaam said he often carried the knife with him out of habit because he used it at work to cut string. He admitted however that he did not go to work on the day of the alleged incident.

During an interview with Police on August 30, Salaam was shown a knife and asked if it had any similar features to his own.

In his statement, Salaam told Police that unlike the knife he was shown his did not have any wooden parts in the handle.

The trial resumes this morning before Chief Justice the Hon. Mr. Justice Ward.