Legal proceedings have been initiated against the Production Manager of Cummings Wood Products, Joshua Cummings after he allegedly lured an employee to the environs of the Linden- Soesdyke Highway, where the work was reportedly beaten by a gang over some missing wood.
Joshua Cummings
Represented by Attorney-at-Law Jerome Khan, the 21-year-old former student of Queen’s College was arraigned before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Wales Magistrate’s Court, where he denied allegations to the effect that on May 22, 2017, he assaulted Virtual Complainant (VC) Dwaine Wilkinson, occasioning actual bodily harm.
Reports are the VC, who is employed as a truck driver at the said company, and his boss had embarked on a journey on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway to purchase an engine for a Caterpillar machine when he was attacked by several men with pieces of wood.
According to Wilkinson’s version of the events, he thought that they were both being attacked until his boss confronted him unharmed and demanded to know what happened to the missing lumber. The injured man was reportedly dropped off at the residence of an acquaintance and was told that if anyone enquired, he should say he was attacked by some men to whom he is indebted.
Conversely, the defence counsel for Cummings related the defendant’s version of events, which was in total contradiction to the VC’s version. Attorney Khan bashed the “fabricated allegations” attesting that the claims stem from a failed attempt to rob Cummings, as the initial plan “backfired”.
The lawyer related that Wilkinson had told his client that he knew someone on the highway, who was willing to sell them an engine for their equipment. The truck driver then suggested that they take the drive on the afternoon of May 22 to consult with the potential seller, to which his boss wholeheartedly agreed.
Khan continued that the VC had instructed his client to pick him up at the company’s branch in Yarakabra, and Cummings complied. The defendant was reportedly further instructed to divert off the main road onto an unfamiliar trail when Wilkinson suggested that they abandon the vehicle to “look” for the buyer. At this point, a suspicious Cummings objected and opted to remain in his vehicle which contained large sums of cash among other valuables, as Wilkinson disappeared along the deserted trail for several minutes.
Following the VC’s failure to return after 10 minutes, Cummings became more suspicious, the Attorney reported, as attempts to call him on his cellular phone proved futile, since the area was outside of signal reach. The defendant then decided to drive out back to the public road; he contacted his father as soon as he had signal coverage and relayed what happened to him. The senior Cummings ordered that his son abort the journey for his own safety after suspecting that something was amiss. By the time the young man returned home, it was dark and it was only until the next morning upon receiving a call from the Police that he became aware that Wilkinson was battered in relation to wood being missing at his lumber yard, according to the allegations put to him by officials.
Khan related that his client cooperated at all times with Police during the course of the investigation, providing a full statement under caution in which he denied any knowledge of the occurrence.
Based on reports reaching this publication, the VC furthermore tried to fabricate evidence by rounding up persons to testify in his favour which only came to light recently when they (the alleged witnesses), during a confrontation with Police, revealed that they were coerced to give false statements in court.
Cummings was granted bail in the sum of $30,000 and the matter was transferred to the Linden Magistrate’s Court to be heard on July 4.
