The ex-girlfriend of a defendant who skipped the Island during his Supreme Court trial claimed she didn't know she was his surety for the whole trial and was fined $2,500 for his absence.

Kimhoy Lightbourne, 21, was summoned to Supreme Court by Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves on Friday morning after her ex-boyfriend, Stephen Thompson, failed to show up after the first day of his trial.

She had signed court documents as his surety.

Thompson, 27, was charged with chopping Neville Andre Greene in the neck after a taxi cab business deal dispute.

The trial continued in his absence and he was sentenced to seven years behind bars after a jury convicted him of wounding with intent on Tuesday.

Miss Lightbourne explained to Mr. Justice Greaves she wasn't aware that when she signed Thompson's initial bail form, she would be the surety throughout the trial.

She said she had broken up with Thompson months ago because he had been violent towards her and went as far as getting a protection letter from the Women's Resource Centre on December 2.

Asked if she knew of Thompson's plan to leave the Island, Miss Lightbourne said she did not know anything about him leaving and hadn't seen him since the first day of his trial when she sat in the courtroom.

Miss Lightbourne, a card operations representative in one of the Island's banks, admitted after questioning from Mr. Greaves she signed documents on a regular basis for her job.

Mr. Greaves said: "Are you in the habit of signing documents? So you read them before you sign them? So you read the whole court document before signing it? If you read it, you would know the conditions."

He explained to her that her job was to "ensure this man comes to court the whole time".

The judge continued: "You've been to school. You got your GED or high school diploma. So you are not a fool. You're an intelligent person. No one reads more documents than a banker."

Crown prosecutor Robert Welling suggested it was a "quick signature" and she quickly forgot the conditions.

Mr. Greaves said if she no longer wanted to be the surety, all she had to do was tell the court.

The judge decided Miss Lightbourne was responsible for Thompson and decided she had the means to pay the $5,000 bail.

Earlier in the hearing, Miss Lightbourne told the court her salary was about $39,000 a year but she had a car payment and rent to pay every month.

Mr. Greaves said Miss Lightbourne "condemned" herself by bringing the letter to the court but not releasing herself as a surety.

"You have intelligence enough to hang around these people, you have intelligence enough to sign the bail but not enough to withdraw from him. I have no sympathy for you.

"Next time choose your boyfriends better. You're lucky to get away from him. He's not a nice person. He's got a screw loose, maybe a couple," he added.

Miss Lightbourne was ordered to pay the fine in full by February 1.