Employer cuts off piece of worker's finger for stealing two bars of soap

PORT ANTONIO, Portland — Everton McDonald, the owner of Shine supermarket and wholesale in Port Antonio allegedly ordered that an employee's finger be partly cut off as punishment for stealing two bars of soap.

McDonald and his employee Calvin 'Jegge' James, will appear in the Port Antonio Resident Magistrate's Court on March 3 to answer to a charge of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

Both were granted bail of $100,000 and $150,000 respectively.

The complainant, Michael Wilson, recounted his ordeal to the Observer.

"I was upstairs cleaning up because we responsible for the storeroom. While cleaning up I found two detergent soaps on the floor. It came into my mind and a don't know why because it is wrong; so I put them in my waist and coming down I reach one of the security looking at me. I was going to turn back and me see say him see me already so me nuh badda," he said.

"I turned to him and say "Sir me have two soap and me know me blunder still and me a go put them back". Him say him can't make me go back cause another security was watching him so him carry mi up stairs to the boss. On reaching upstairs the boss say 'A whe you catch him a do?' Him seh him thief two soap' The boss seh 'Well you know wha a gawn ya now, me check me stock and me lose $9 million short so hear wha a go gwan ya now, me want a finger," Wilson said.

"Me say Oh God me boss please yu don't have any other option? Him seh no cause me stock short. Him ask fi 'Jegge' and Jegge seh me a go want a finger? Dem carry me down a di kitchen and say me a go want a hammer and dem go for the hammer and come back and say 'put out the hand'. Me hesitate for about two times and den put out the hand and dem chop off a it one time and me draw it away, dem two time me put it out again and dem chop off a it again two time and me pull in the hand again. Then them say, 'A wha you a do boy?" he went on.

"The one Jegge had a knife and put it towards me side so me stretch out the hand and turn away me head and me feel a burning sensation and when me look round me see me piece a finger on the table so me tek me handkerchief and wrap me hand so," he said.

"Beachie say this is an example when everybody else see it them will stop cause mi lose a lot of stock. Him she me must go back to work and me tell him say me have fi go to the hospital. So me leave and go up at the hospital and get it dressed," Wilson said.

The incident occurred on Tuesday January 18 and the men were locked up over the weekend and were bailed on Monday.

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Comment by JamRockLady on February 7, 2011 at 5:34pm: What did the boss gain from having the employee do this? It won't bring back the stolen stock. This is "backwards" and "primitive" justice. Time to step into the "new millennium" boss man. SMH.

Comment by Hugh on January 30, 2011 at 11:29pm: A probably the security dem a tief him goods... amount to $9M???

The boss and the guard dem heartless... but a so dem stay when dem feel dem have a likkle bit of authority.

Dutty johncrow dem.

After saying all dat... mi nuh condone stealing! But a less severe punishment could have been handed down.

Comment by deborah rollerson on January 30, 2011 at 8:16pm: The worker found the bars of soap on the ground i the storage room, then he picked it up seeing them as only waste and put them in his waist. He wasn't stealing, then he tried to carry that ass back to the storage room and put it back. The heartless security kept him from doing so. No mention of how much he makes, so that is not the point,The boss will now spend more than the 2 dollars for that effin soap, hopefully more than any monetary value. I hope they compensate him, cause in America he would get workers compensation,lawsuit money, disability money, some nice food stamp benefits for him children dem, some medicaid... HELLO. Wonder what f***** up system made that effin monster.

Comment by Tessan Allen on January 30, 2011 at 1:04pm: And the stupid boss get lock up in jail and have to be going to court and paying lawyer, he might end up in prison instead of the employee over 2 bars of soap. The young man did not have money to buy soap and he knows that he needed a bath, if he was being paid properly he would have been able to buy soap all his pay can buy is a pound of flour and sugar and pay bus fare and the youth work so hard, the boss must go rot in prison...

Comment by Tes B on January 30, 2011 at 11:38am: the boss need three fingers cut off.. this is not the dark ages!!!

Comment by fitzroy johnson on January 29, 2011 at 9:30pm: them people that say them a boss ,they are the most criminal in jamaica .that to show you how them get their stuff ROD AND KILLpeople.

Comment by donnett blake on January 29, 2011 at 7:18pm: OMG!! the boss should have terminated the employee or press charges. That was a crazy and inhumane thing to do to

any human being for two damn bars a soap. My word he did not steal a million dollars...................

Comment by exotic eyes on January 29, 2011 at 12:27am: WoW!! The boss should have let him put the soaps back or possibly fired him instead of chopped the worker's finger off. Only evilness in this world. Ridiculous

Comment by Bombahdrop on January 28, 2011 at 4:56pm: I say the same thing all these killings stealing can be stop if people were treated better and were able to afford to buy things Once that is fixed things would be better in this world. Its like they don't care or want to take time to acknowledge to see what causes these demises. Not enough to eat on dang . If you don't give to those who suffer what u thing go happen dem go turn around and we food duuuuhhh