Man fined for beating girlfriend, jailed for punching her daughter

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By Latrishka Thomas

A St Lucian national has been ordered to compensate a woman $700 for beating her and pay $300 to the state for the same offence.

The 42-year-old convict who has been living in Antigua for about two years, was also sent to prison for 14 days for hitting the woman’s eight-year-old daughter in her eye.

The offence occurred on October 3 when the man picked up his girlfriend and her daughter in St John’s, and accused her of infidelity.

While heading to their Paynters home, the man began beating his then partner. The child tried to come to her mother’s rescue by hitting the man in his head with a glass bottle while he was driving.

He then punched the minor in her eye.

When they arrived at the home, the child was asked by her mother to run to a neighbour for help and she did.

Meanwhile, the man grabbed a cutlass and attacked the woman, which caused minor injuries to her face.

The police arrived shortly after and found the defendant hiding in the bathroom. He was arrested and later charged with two counts battery.

About a week ago, the man, while shedding tears, pleaded guilty to the charges when he appeared before Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel-Edwards in the All Saints Magistrate’s Court.

After pleading guilty, his lawyer Jan Peltier told the court that the convict did not intentionally hit the child and that he only reacted to the blows to his head from the minor who was sitting in the backseat while he was driving.
Peltier also claimed that no cutlass was involved in the incident.

She continued to mitigate on his behalf saying that “he is not known to the court; he is a hard worker and he is deeply remorseful”.

However, the mother took the stand and showed the magistrate the scars she sustained to her nose and right cheek.

She told the magistrate that she had no medical expenses but that her daughter required an eye examination.
The convicted man, who had been on remand for seven days, will only have to spend seven days in jail for hitting the child.

He also has 14 days to pay the monies ordered or he will be sentenced to spend time behind bars.

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