By Elesha George
An ex-couple walked away from each other in court on Monday for what High Court Judge Justice Colin Williams hoped would be their last appearance before him.
Casroy Joseph, the man who he had just ordered to pay a fine of $5,000, had pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding the mother of one of his children with a cutlass.
According to the facts presented to the court, Joseph chopped the woman in the head with a cutlass during an argument in 2020. He, too, allegedly sustained minor injuries during the domestic dispute.
When attorney Wendel Robinson represented Joseph during his sentencing hearing, he asked the judge to consider several factors before sentencing his client.
He petitioned for a non-custodial sentence which meant that Joseph would not serve any prison time on the grounds that the 37-year-old was gainfully employed and had been financially assisting his four-year-old son which he shares with his ex. In hopes of mitigating the sentencing, Robinson explained to the court that Joseph had no previous convictions and despite having to change attorneys, he pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Justice Williams also heard an impact statement from his ex-girlfriend Chauncey Alfred, as she tried to outline how the incident had affected her.
After noticing that the woman had been fighting back tears for some time and was having trouble relaying her feelings, the judge prompted her with questions.
In response, she told the court that she had been in a relationship with Joseph for five years but they were no longer together. As a result of the severity of the dispute, she said they no longer spoke and he takes care of his child through a court arrangement.
“I just want him to apologise,” she concluded, refusing to even look in his direction throughout her statement.
Despite suffering a bit of hair loss at the site of the wound and appearing still shaken by the incident, she asked the court not to send him to prison, the reason being that “my son loves him”.
Joseph also decided to honour the woman’s request by offering an apology: “I apologise for what happened two years a back. I’m very sorry,” he said.
After hearing from both parents, Justice Williams ordered that the $5,000 fine be paid by May 2, 2023. In default, the father of three will serve one year in prison.
The case has now left Joseph with a criminal record which the judge said “he will bear the responsibility for” forever. He also acknowledged the trauma that the incident had caused the woman who, even after giving her impact statement, refused to lock eyes with her attacker.
