SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth – Ruling People’s National Party (PNP) constituency secretary for North East St Elizabeth Clena Sloley was said to be recovering well in hospital last night, after being stabbed several times by an ice pick wielder at her home in this south western town on Friday afternoon.

“She is doing good,” a close relative said last night.

Sloley, a 52 year-old teacher at the Santa Cruz Primary and Junior High, had only just returned home alone from a funeral at sometime after 3:00 pm, when she was pounced upon and stabbed several times in the back and on her hands.

Her car – a Toyota Corolla – and her handbag with keys, money and other valuables were stolen.

A broken piece of the ice pick which was used to attack Sloley was later surgically removed from her back at hospital.

As news of the attack spread late Friday and yesterday, Senator Kern Spencer, the PNP’s candidate for North East St Elizabeth in parliamentary elections that are constitutionally due this year, moved quickly to calm party supporters.

“The fact is that this is the ‘silly season’ and Miss Sloley is a very important person in the constituency – not just the constituency secretary but my campaign secretary – so there is going to be a lot of speculation,” Spencer told the Observer. “So I am traveling across the constituency in all four divisions assuring people that the police are investigating the matter, everything is under control and every one should remain calm,” he added.