Richard Brown appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where he pleaded not guilty to unlawful wounding charges. Brown admitted in court that he ‘boxed’ (slapped) the mother of his child in her face because of her alleged shortcomings as a mother.
The court heard that the defendant and complainant were involved in a heated argument over their child, which led the defendant to hit the complainant in the face. The impact of the ‘box’ caused the complainant’s nose to bleed, and there was also a swelling to the left side of her face.
In his defence, Brown told the court that he hit the complainant because she had not adjusted herself well as a mother, as she continued to attend street dances regularly, and neglected their child. Resident Magistrate Georgiana Fraser then told Brown that perhaps the complainant was not ready to be a mother. Brown reportedly replied, “a three pickney she have,” which caused some laughter in the court.
Brown’s bail was extended, and he is to return to court on March 15. Both Brown and the defendant were also ordered by the court to undergo counseling.
Donavon Levy appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where he was fined $10,000 or six months’ imprisonment for reportedly using a yard rake to inflict wounds to his son’s face.
Allegations are that on July 18, 2010 at approximately 6:40 p.m., Levy and his son had an argument, and Levy reportedly used his hand to hit his son several times in the face. Levy then reportedly used a yard rake to hit the son on his face, causing a wound between his nose and eye. Levy was later arrested and charged with unlawful wounding.
Adrian Dehaney appeared before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court recently, where he was given a suspended sentence for punching his uncle’s babymother in her face during an argument over her washtub and washing soap.
The court heard that the two had an argument on January 26, when she saw him using her washtub and washing soap without her permission. During the argument, he reportedly punched her in the left eye, causing it to bleed. Dehaney tried to explain to the court that he had lashed out after she had approached him from behind.
On the charge of unlawful wounding, he was sentenced to 12 months at hard labour suspended for 12 months, but he also faces a malicious destruction charge, which will be heard in court on March 10. He was offered bail in the sum of $5000 in his own surety.
A female vendor, Janet Findley, who used a chopper to injure another woman (Cornelia McDonald) on her leg during a fight over hand cart space in Downtown Kingston, was fined $30,000 (or serve six months in prison) when she appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday. It is alleged that McDonald had parked her hand cart on Orange Street, when Findley came along and moved McDonald’s cart, putting her own hand cart in the spot instead. This reportedly lead to a fight between the two.
McDonald was also before the court, because she was charged with stabbing Findley in the chest during the same incident. Findley pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, and the sentence was handed down, however McDonald pleaded not guilty to felonious wounding, and is to return to court on January 18.
Everton Salmon, a resident of Montego Bay, appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court recently, where he pleaded ‘guilty with explanation’ to a charge of unlawful wounding. He was accused of beating his 12 year old son.
Allegations are that Salmon was walking along the road when he saw the child, held on to him, and asked him where he had been. He then started slapping him in the face and kicking him. A crowd gathered, and the police turned up on the scene as well. On seeing blood on the child’s face, he was arrested and charged.
Salmon tried to explain to the court that his son had been causing his parents a lot of anxiety by running away constantly, and hanging out in a bad part of the city with unsavory characters. He was fined J$70,000 by the judge.
