ANNOTTO BAY, St Mary – Nalia Dennis is breathing a bit easier now that her ex-lover, who allegedly stabbed her more than 30 times and left her for dead, is in custody. For almost two years she has been terrified at the thought that he may return to finish the job he allegedly started in November 2021.

“I feel so overwhelmed with emotions because I’m finally going to get justice. On the other hand, I still feel traumatised to see him and to remember he did me like this,” the 25-year-old told the Jamaica Observer on Monday.

She knew he would be making his first appearance in court the next day and she was praying he would not be granted bail.

In May 2022, six months after the attack that left her severely wounded, Dennis had complained that the police were dragging their feet. Last Wednesday, acting commanding officer for the St Mary Division, Deputy Superintendent of Police Kevin Francis announced that Kurt “Garth” Griffiths, who had previously been listed as wanted for wounding with intent, had been nabbed thanks in part to co-operation from area residents. Griffiths had previously been featured in the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Wanted Wednesdays campaign on social media.

“A targeted raid was planned and carried out about 2:30 this morning and the suspect was found, taken into safe custody without incident,” said Francis.

When she spoke with the Observer last May, Dennis described the damage done to her body during the vicious attack that left her in a crumpled, blood-drenched heap in front of her aunt’s shop. It all began, she said, when her ex-lover came to her yard to have a conversation about their child. After seeing her talking with a friend, Dennis said, he used a knife to stab her repeatedly. She remained outside all night until relatives found her the next day.

She lost her left eye, hearing in her left ear, and sense of smell in her left nostril. Her left hand and leg were also affected.

When she spoke with the Observer last year Dennis was working on getting strong enough to walk so that she could be baptised. In January she fulfilled her dream and today she is doing much better.

“I’m still going through hydrotherapy, and I’m not walking on my own yet, but I’m using a walker to move around. My balance is also still not at 100 per cent but, by the grace of God, it will get there,” she told the Observer on Monday.

“I’ve always wanted to give my life to God and I got a chance to do so, and I’m just living for Him right now because He saved my life,” Dennis said.

She was at the Annotto Bay courthouse on Tuesday when Griffiths was denied bail.

“I am pleased with the verdict so far,” the teary-eyed young woman said as she was helped to a chair while waiting to be escorted to a nearby motor car.

Griffiths showed no emotion as Judge Yvette Wentworth Miller explained that her decision was based on her assessment that he could abscond, as he had been on the run before.

His lawyer, Derrick Thompson, said his client remains resolute that he acted in self-defence.

“He was set upon by the victim’s male companion and herself and he had to defend himself,” the attorney told the Observer outside court.

Griffiths’s next court appearance will be on November 7 in the St Mary Circuit Court.