23 year old Kirk Brown, of a Kingston 19 address, appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court recently, where he pleaded guilty to wounding his mother, Sandra Duncan.
Allegations are that on September 11, at approximately 12 noon, Brown and his mother had an argument, and he reportedly used a piece of metal chain and a piece of board to hit her all over her body, causing swelling and bruises to her left arm and the left side of her back. Duncan told the court that it was not the first time that he had beat her, but Brown countered saying that she had used a glass bottle to stab him on his hand and in one of his ears.
They were ordered to seek counseling in order to resolve their issues, and the matter will be mentioned in court once again on November 9, and a report made on the counseling sessions.
Mikhail Johnson, a 22-year-old un-employed resident of Palmers Cross, Clarendon, appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where he faced charges of possession of ganja, dealing in ganja, taking step to export ganja and conspiracy to export ganja. He was accused of attempting to smuggle 7 1/2 pounds of marijuana (ganja) to St. Maarten. It is alleged that he was arrested at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on September 4, after the drug was found hidden in a false compartment in his suitcase.
Johnson pleaded not guilty to the charges, and was offered bail in the sum of $200,000. However, Resident Magistrate Georgianna Fraser warned him sternly, that bail would be revoked and he would be taken back into custody if he did not enroll himself at a learning institution and start attending classes. According to the magistrate, Johnson found himself in the situation because he was idle, and he needs to find something (such as school) to occupy his time.
Johnson is scheduled to return to court on November 1, 2010.
Twenty-five-year-old Tamika Hall of a Denham Town address in Kingston, was remanded into custody when she appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Hall is accused of dousing her flat-mate with a jug of hot porridge during a dispute.
Upon seeing how badly hurt the complainant was, the judge promptly turned down Hall’s application for bail.
The court heard that on August 30, 2010, both women were at home when they began arguing. It is alleged that Hall then attacked the complainant and threw the porridge on her neck, which ran down on her breast and other parts of her body causing severe burns. The complainant was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital, where she was admitted and later released.
The accused was later arrested and charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm. However, Hall’s lawyer told the court that Hall actually acted in self-defence, and that she was at home preparing the porridge meal for her children, when the complainant attacked her with a machete and chopped her in the face. The lawyer said that Hall threw the porridge on the complainant in order to fend off her attack, and went to the Tivoli Gardens Police Station to report the matter and was also sent to Kingston Public Hospital for treatment.
Hall will return to court on September 21.
