Hill Street murder Father recounts seeing son being stabbed
The trial of Steve Allicock, who is accused of murdering Wendell Tappin, commenced yesterday morning before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member mixed jury at the High Court in Georgetown.
The charge against him, is that on December 31, 2009 at Hill Street Albouystown, Georgetown, he murdered Tappin, called ‘Keyco.’ He has pleaded not guilty to the capital indictment against him.
Testifying yesterday, was the father of the deceased and prosecution star witness, Dan Tappin, who recounted watching helplessly as Steve repeatedly stabbed his son in the chest.
The elder Tappin told the court that about 15:45 that day, he was walking east along James Street, Albouystown, when he saw his son running past from the opposite direction, with a group, including the accused, in pursuit.
According to him, the group of persons, whom he referred to as his son’s “attackers,” consisted of a woman carrying a piece of wood and cutlass, while the accused was armed with a knife.
The man said he quickened his pace and caught up with the group, which by that time had converged on Hill Street and surrounded his “defenceless” son.
The witness said, a relative of the accused, whom he named as Randoph, then held onto his son’s shirt and placed a knife to his throat, before kicking him to the ground.
Tappin said he helplessly watched his son struggle to get back on his feet to escape his attackers, but his efforts were futile, as approached.
He said the woman who carried the weapons, lashed her son in the head with the wood, causing him to fall back to the ground, by which time even more persons started gathering round.
He told the court that she was from the Allicock household.
Tappin said that shortly after, a man who came on the scene, took away the weapons from those who were armed, and handed them to Allicock’s father, Leonard.
The witness said that Leonard Allicock, however, handed back to his children, including Steve, the weapons which were taken from them.
It was at this point, Tappin said, that the accused began “pelting stabs,” to his son’s the “Allicock family,” chest and in the region of his heart.
“My son was defenceless,” the emotional Tappin said, adding that because of the “violent reputation,” for which the Allicocks were known in the area, he did not intervene to assist his son.
The man opined that if he did, he may have been killed also.
“I watched him die that day,” he said sadly.
After the attack, Tappin said he used his mobile phone and contacted the Impact Base, after which police officers arrived on the scene shortly after.
The witness said that after stabbing his son, he pursued Steve, who ran into an alleyway and escaped into a yard, by creating an opening in a zinc-sheet fence.
Tappin said he never again saw the accused, until five years after, when he was invited to the police station, where lawmen held a confrontation between them.
The witness said that he repeated his story in the presence of the accused, who denied ever being at the scene on the day in question.
Testifying yesterday also was crime scene investigator, Detective Desmond Johnny, who recalled photographing the scene of the crime where he saw stains of what appeared to be blood.
Those photographs were tendered and admitted as exhibits.
Also admitted into evidence, was the post-mortem report in favour of the deceased, which Detective Sergeant Osmond Semple testified receiving from Pathologist Vivekanand Brijmohan, following an autopsy. The trial continues this morning at 9. In her opening address, Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy told the jury that Tappin died at the hands of the accused, who inflicted multiple stab wounds to his body.
Representing the accused, are attorneys Maxwell Mc Kay and Debra Kumar.
The state’s case meanwhile, is being led by Hardy, in association with Prosecutors Tamieka Clarke and Seeta Bishundial.
Before his arraignment, Steve had eluded capture for over five years. He was charged less than a year after his father was freed of the said charge. Randolph, Leonard’s brother, who was also slapped with the capital charge, was freed of the offence.
Tappin, a father of two, was 23 years old at the time of his death.