taxi driver, was adjourned early yesterday after a morning dominated by legal arguments.

Vincent Burch, of Derwent Lane, has denied being involved in the September 1, 1996 robbery of Leon Trott which landed the taxi driver in King Edward VII Memorial Hospital with two slashes to his throat.

Burch is being tried on only one of the four charges against him.

He was charged with attempted murder and two counts of wounding and robbery.

But Crown Counsel Philip Storr told the jury that they were to only consider the robbery charge against Burch.

Mr. Storr said the other person involved in the case, Stedman Clarke, had taken responsibility for wounding Mr. Trott.

On Monday, Clarke told the four-man, eight-woman jury how he and Burch plotted to rob a taxi driver just two-weeks before the incident.

Clarke, currently serving a two-year prison sentence for wounding Mr. Trott, told the Court that Burch came up with the idea to rob a taxi driver about two weeks before the incident.

And Clarke said the pair discussed executing their plan just hours before Mr.

Trott stopped to pick the pair up from the junction of Court and Victoria Streets and gave them a ride.

Clarke testified that Burch, who was sitting in the front seat, gave Mr. Trott directions leading them to a narrow road.

Mr. Trott told the jury: "The person behind me grabbed me by my chin and pulled my head back from the left.

"He cut my throat with his right hand,'' he recalled. "I said `hold up the money's right here' and I patted my left pants pocket.'' Mr. Trott said he immediately assumed that the pair were trying to rob him: "Why else would they cut my throat ? "I was cut again and at that time I grabbed his right hand,'' he added. "I didn't know if he was going to cut me again.

"While I was trying to control the man's hand, the person in front went into my pants pocket.'' Mr. Trott estimated he had about $270 in his pocket and he said that both men fled the taxi on foot after he was wounded.

Also on Monday, Clarke admitted that he could not say if Burch had taken any money from Mr. Trott since he did not have a clear view of Burch.

And he claimed that he lied to Police during his first statement -- which cleared Burch of any wrong-doing -- in a bid to protect his roommate.

But Burch, in a statement to Police, claimed that it was Clarke who spoke of robbing a taxi driver, not him. He said he fled the taxi the moment Clarke produced a knife.

Yesterday, the jury heard testimony from a Police officer who said Burch and his roommate Clarke were arrested at their Devonshire home some 16 days after the incident.

Puisne Judge Norma Wade-Miller then informed the jury that the case would be adjourned until this morning to "allow counsel to explore an aspect of the case''.

And Mrs. Justice Wade-Miller hinted that the trial may wrap up today.

TRYING TIMES -- Stedman Clarke (left), who has already been convicted of robbing a taxi driver, and Vincent Burch, whose Supreme Court trial was adjourned yesterday for legal arguments.