A botched robbery in Jamaica left a Bermuda man needing urgent medical treatment for a gun shot wound.

The Christmas holidays could have ended in tragedy for the visitor, named by Police as Jermaine Harvey. The victim was walking with a friend in Montego Bay when two robbers, one armed, pounced and demanded cash.

Jamaica Police said a struggle started between Mr. Harvey and the armed man and the weapon was fired in the early hours ambush.

Police spokesman, Detective Sergeant Jubert Llewellyn, said Mr. Harvey was shot in the side before the robbers fled the scene empty handed.

The 23-year-old electrician was taken to hospital with what Police in Jamaica believe were non-life threatening injuries. His friend, also from Bermuda, was not hurt.

The attempted robbery happened just before 1 a.m. on December 23 in the eastern outskirts of Montego Bay.

Although Jamaica has a reputation for violent crime, Mr. Smith said the area where Mr. Harvey was targeted was an ?upscale, residential community? where such incidents were not common.

He confirmed that officers were still hunting the men behind the frightening attack after a description of the culprits was given to detectives by the victims.

?A search has been launched for the two men,? Mr. Llewellyn said yesterday. ?We are hoping we can catch them.?

Police believe the men who targeted Mr. Harvey probably did not set out to shoot him.

Mr. Llewellyn added: ?I?m of the opinion they did not really intend to do any harm. They probably just wanted some money or something, and they ran away without any firing any more shots.?understands Mr. Harvey is still in Jamaica recovering from the attack, understood to have left him shook up but not seriously injured. A family member, from the Ord Road area, did not want to comment on the robbery when contacted yesterday.