A principal of a Kingston-based preparatory school was last week hauled before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on a rape charge, following accusations that he raped a teacher at the school.
The accused man, whose wife and brother were present in court last Tuesday, was however released on $200,000 bail following an application by his attorney CJ Mitchell.
“This is a case where the allegations arise out of ill-will and malice,” said the attorney who told the court that his client was innocent. “This did not happen,” he said.
According to Mitchell, the teacher made up the allegations after she was fired from the school on account of her late arrival. Mitchell said that the teacher, despite being spoken to about her actions, continued to arrive late at the school.
But Senior Magistrate Judith Pusey told him that she was concerned about his arguments, as the Crown has strong medical evidence.
“You will have to revisit that defence,” she said.
She also told him that she was not comfortable about offering the accused man bail, given his association with the teacher. But Mitchell assured her that his client would not be in close proximity to the complainant as they are not neighbours.
“Could somebody fire you and you say that they rape you and have medical? This is a bad medical,” Pusey further remarked.
But Mitchell maintained that his client was innocent and was subsequently advised by the magistrate to have his client do a mouth swab.
“There should be no fear, since your client is saying that it never happened,” she said before the accused was offered bail on condition that he surrenders his travel documents.
He is scheduled to return to court on February 25.
Man punches sister over clothes line
A man who punched his sister in her face and bit her on her finger during a dispute over the use of a clothes line, was ordered to fork out $10,000 or serve six months in prison.
The accused, Zanu Benjamin, was fined by Resident Magistrate Opal Smith after he pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm.
According to the complainant’s account of the incident, on January 18 she was at her home on Nugent Lane in Kingston washing, when her brother who resides elsewhere came to the house to do his laundry.
She said that when she was finished washing and was hanging out her clothes, her brother told her not to make her wet clothes touch his dry clothes and an argument started.
The complainant said that her brother splashed soap water on her and she splashed it back once and he punched her in her face and bit her on her finger.
“Really! Clothes line?” Magistrate Opal Smith said after hearing the allegations.
“Yes judge, but she also bite me,” Benjamin said in his defence.
“You have to behave better than this,” she responded before fining Benjamin.
Janitor gets 10 days for stealing phone credit
A janitor at a LIME store who was caught red-handed with a quantity of phonecards in her handbag, was slapped with a 10-day jail sentence.
Millicent Palmer, 49, of Elgin Road, Kingston 5 was sentenced by Magistrate Smith after she pleaded guilty to simple larceny.
The court heard that on February 1, about 8:30 am, Palmer went to work at the store on Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston and was let into the office by the supervisor who later left the office.
Palmer, who was at the office alone, went into the cupboard and took up two eight $100 calling cards, 19 of the $200 demonination, two worth $400 each, four of the $500 value and two headsets all valued at $10,800.
Shortly after, the cashier arrived at work and realised that the cards were missing. The police was summoned and the items were found in Palmer’s bag.
Angry husband punches wife in front of cop
A wife who was reportedly punched in her face by her husband in front of a policeman, refused to have the matter settled by a mediator and insisted that she wanted her husband to be tried for assaulting her.
The accused, Asah Bailey, was recently charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, following a domestic dispute at his house. The court also heard that he assaulted his wife in front ofa lawman who had been summoned to quell the dispute.
But on Thursday when the matter was raised, Bailey’s attorney told the court that the couple who have two children, had been a loving and cohesive duo and asked for the matter to be transferred to the Disputes Resolution Board.
But the wife, after being consulted by the prosecutor, said that she did not want to have the matter mediated.
As a result, Bailey’s bail was extended for him to return to court for trial on May 28.
Woman denies stealing despite camera evidence
A former employee of a popular pastry shop who was reportedly caught on camera removing US$250 from her co-worker’s bag, is scheduled to go on trial on March 11.
The accused, Najae Panton, maintained her plea of not guilty on a charge of simple larceny when she appeared in court last Tuesday. As a result, the matter was scheduled for trial and her bail was extended.
Panton, who was employed as a clerk at Brick Oven on Hope Road in St Andrew, reportedly took the money from her co-worker’s bag on November 18, last year while they were at work.
The matter was reported to the police and she was arrested after she was said to have been caught on camera at work removing the money.