A man was stabbed in the back by another as he walked away, a jury has heard.

Marekco Ratteray, 23, is accused of inflicting a two to three centimetre wound on Shawn Bascome, 35, during the incident in Rambling Lane, Pembroke.

However, Ratteray's Supreme Court trial heard his defence lawyer argue that Mr. Bascome sparked the incident by punching Ratteray in the mouth.

Ratteray, of North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish, denies wounding Mr. Bascome with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm on September 13 last year.

He also denies possessing a folding knife on the date of the stabbing, and possessing the same knife a week later when detained by Police in Par La Ville Park, Hamilton.

Opening the prosecution case, Crown Counsel Robert Welling claimed the jury would hear evidence to show Ratteray stabbed the complainant in the lower back as he walked away, causing a wound that put him in hospital for four days.

"It's clear that there had been a disagreement between Mr. Bascome and Mr. Ratteray on a previous occasion and it's probably that disagreement that led to this stabbing incident," he told the jury.

Mr. Welling said after Ratteray's arrest, he told Police he pulled a knife on Mr. Bascome but it was Mr. Bascome that had attacked him.

He told the jury Ratteray will claim the wound was suffered by Mr. Bascome during "rolling around and scuffling" while he was acting in self defence.

Giving his account of the incident, Mr. Bascome told the jury it unfolded around 2.15pm as he walked along Fentons Drive, Pembroke to go to the Laundromat.

He claimed he greeted a group of five or six acquaintances by knocking knuckles with them but Ratteray — who he referred to as "Reeko" — refused to do so and "just sucked his teeth."

Mr. Bascome told the court he had not expected that reaction, and as a result told Ratteray: "I thought all this was squashed If I wanted a piece of you I would have took a piece."

He explained that this was a reference to an incident involving Ratteray and his brother.

He claimed that as he walked away, he heard something that caused him to turn around.

"As I turned I felt a jab in my back. I saw it was Reeko and we started fighting I guess," he told the court.

He claimed Ratteray had a knife in his right hand and said "I'll f*****g kill you."

Mr. Bascome said he then walked away and called an ambulance because he realised he was bleeding profusely from his back.

Cross examining Mr. Bascome, Ratteray's lawyer Rick Woolridge quizzed him about previous run-ins.

He alleged Mr. Bascome and his brother Tyrone "jumped" Ratteray on one occasion in the bus terminal, with Mr. Bascome telling Ratteray he wanted to fight him.

On a second occasion, Mr. Woolridge claimed Mr. Bascome bumped into Ratteray at Bootsie's comedy club and spilled a drink on him, and when the latter retaliated they had to be separated by security guards.

On a third occasion, Mr. Woolridge claimed Mr. Bascome and his brother chased Ratteray in the vicinity of City Hall, Hamilton.

Mr. Bascome denied sparking confrontations on these occasions.

Mr. Woolridge went on to claim Mr. Bascome's words on the day of the stabbing about taking a piece of Ratteray were accompanied by him punching Ratteray in the mouth and attacking him with his arm around his head and neck.

Mr. Bascome denied this. Of his comment about taking a piece of Ratteray, he said: "Was it stupid? Yes. Do I regret it? Yes. But it wasn't in a threatening way."

He told the jury Ratteray attacked his brother in the past, but on the day of the stabbing, he believed everything was "cool." The case continues.