The St James Parish Court on Thursday requested an extension of time in the case against a tyre repairman accused of using a stone to beat another man to death during a confrontation.

Oppley Ebanks, of a Bottom Road, Orange, address, is charged with murder in relation to the death of 40-year-old labourer Santino Plummer of a Lilliput address.

When the matter came before presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton, the Crown requested an extension because the post-mortem was performed on March 25 and the report would take some time to complete.

The judge acceded to the prosecution’s request, and the extension was granted until May 17.

Meanwhile, Ebanks’s lawyer, Jermaine Campbell, requested a bail modification, specifically a reduction in his client’s initial $800,000 bail.

Campbell stated in his request that Ebanks’s girlfriend was assaulted on a beach. He claimed that after hearing her cries for help, Ebanks intervened and used a stone to strike Plummer on the head.

However, on a prior mention date, February 21, the clerk of the court referenced sections of a statement on file, given by Ebanks’s girlfriend, which contradicted the defence’s argument.

Fairclough-Hylton, however, decreased the bail amount to $600,000 while keeping all other conditions unchanged.

Ebanks is to return to court on May 8.

According to the allegations, on January 14, about 11:30 pm, Plummer went to a football field to conduct a business transaction. While there an argument reportedly developed between him and a woman in which Ebanks intervened.

The confrontation between the two men turned physical, during which Ebanks allegedly used a stone to strike Plummer. The police were summoned, and on their arrival Plummer was seen lying face down in blood with a wound to the head.

Ebanks, who was seen running from the scene, was chased and held by the lawmen.

He was taken into custody and formally charged after a question-and-answer session.