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– File photo
A 23-year-old Venezuelan man has been sentenced to four months’ jail with hard labour for recently assaulting a female patron at a bar.
On Monday, Thomas Jose Ibarra Mejias, who lives in Claxton Bay, faced Master Margaret Sookraj-Goswami and pleaded guilty charged with assault occasioning a wound.
The charge stemmed from a stabbing attack on a 16-year-old Venezuelan girl at around 4 pm on April 7 at Drillers Sports Bar in the Couva district.
The woman was injured when she and other patrons tried to intervene.
The accused was also charged with the attempted murder of the Venezuelan girl.
Mejias was not called upon to plead as the charge was laid indictably.
The case was adjourned to June 3.
PC Boodoosingh laid the charges.
It is alleged that the accused broke glass bottles and stabbed the girl, who was working at the bar, in front of patrons.
He then ran off.
Patrons took the injured girl to the Couva Health Facility. She was transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital and was initially in critical condition.
Sgt Basraj, PC Boodoosingh, and other officers from the Central Division visited the scene and gathered evidence.
Mejias was later arrested.
On Monday, Newsday learnt that the girl was discharged from the hospital.
