Tonight, 32 year-old Steve Arnold, and his friend, 27 year-old Roger Hilton are in jail serving the first night of a 6 and a half-year sentence. That's after they were convicted in Magistrate's Court for stabbing a man who refused to give them any money when they begged him.
The victim, Ian Alexander Holland, testified against both men that May 10, 2015, he went to his brother's shop in Lords Bank Village to by milk. He told the court that while was standing there, Arnold and Hilton approached and demanded money from him. Holland said that they immediately searched his pockets, and when they didn't get any money from him, Arnold punched him in the face. He added that Hilton then pulled out a pair of scissors and stabbed him in the chest.
A police officer testified for the prosecution that he came upon the crime in progress when both men tried to ride off on bike. He searched them and found the scissors in Hilton's pocket.
In his defence, Hilton testified in the trial and told the court that he was at the shop, but his account is he only confronted Holland about money that Holland owed his aunt. Hilton added that at no time did he demand any money from Holland, and neither did he try to rob Holland.
Explaining the scissors, Hilton told the court that Holland and the arresting officer fabricated that entire story against him. Arnold, his co-defendant, maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith carefully considered the evidence from both sides, and decided that the defendants had made up the entire story. She then found both men guilty of attempted robbery, and she found Hilton guilty of the additional charge of wounding.
She sentenced them to 7 years, but deducted 5 months for the time they spent on remand while awaiting trial. So that means that they will serve 6 years and 7 months.
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