UPDATE – Cosmetologist in assault case to undergo counselling
Smith, 44, was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and had pleaded guilty to the offence last Friday April 13. However, he secured the services of Attorney Stephen Daniels yesterday, who mitigated on his behalf.
Daniels pleaded with the court to have his client attend the Partnership for Peace Program and to get counselling for his drug use. He revealed that his client smoked marijuana. He also noted that the fact that his client pleaded guilty illustrated that he accepted responsibility for his actions, and is remorseful.
The defense lawyer also disclosed to the court that his client sees over 25 clients a fortnight, and needs that income to support his family in Jamaica. His instruction from Smith, according to Daniels, is that he was informed by a friend of the Virtual Complainant (VC) having a friendship with a male individual.
And when Smith confronted her about it at her place of work, he allegedly saw footprints of Air Force sneakers on the floor of the house. The VC is a helper. Daniels further stated that the VC allegedly told Smith that the footprints were made by the man he suspected her of being with.
Daniels also added that the medical report indicated an extensive list of injuries but none were life-threatening with the most serious being abrasions to the VC’s lip and knees.
Smith, a Jamaican national, was given an opportunity to address the court again and stated how remorseful he was for what happened. He also told the court that he lost the VC but he still loves her.
On Friday April 13, 2012, Senior Crown Counsel Christilyn Benjamin told the court that on April 10, 2012 – between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., Smith found the VC sitting on her bed and began to question her about the guy in the Air Force sneakers, since he had heard one of her daughters had mentioned “Air Force”. But the VC allegedly told him that he misunderstood what her daughter had said. The court heard the daughter had stated air phone.
This only made Smith annoyed; the Senior Crown Counsel told the court. It was then he allegedly slapped her; used one of his fists to punch her in the left eye, then took a spray can and curling iron and began to beat her about the upper region of her body.
The VC eventually was able to run out of the room into her daughters’ room and locked the door. The court heard that the defendant allegedly demanded to be let in and threatened to give her a “cut tail”.
In light of this, he was granted bail in the sum of $20,000 with signed surety and has to surrender his passport. He is expected to return to court July 17, 2012.
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