Ajax teacher’s charges reduced

  TORSTAR news service FILE

Paul Martin

 

The lawyer for the Ajax teacher accused of attempting to kill his wife during a vacation in Jamaica last December suggested in a court there this week that the woman was the aggressor, even as charges against him were reduced. 

Paul Martin, 43, a Grade 5 teacher, had been charged with attempted murder. He now faces the lesser charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm against Cathy-Lee Martin on Dec. 23, 2010, according to reports.

The couple, who have two young children, were on vacation near Montego Bay when the incident happened, according to earlier court testimony.

Martin is accused of taking his wife to an isolated spot, slashing her throat and attempting to strangle her, after accusing her of having an extramarital affair. He has said they were victims of a robbery attempt.

The trial started on Monday.

Defence lawyer Jacqueline Samuels-Brown, a prominent Jamaica lawyer, grilled Cathy-Lee Martin during cross-examination. She suggested that Cathy-Lee, a bank manager in Ajax, had agreed to tell police that an armed robber had attacked the couple, according to The Gleaner.

That was not the case, the woman said.