An order was made to have an American visitor deported from Barbados after she spent the weekend on remand. This came after the court ordered Krystal Gatling to pay $3,000 in compensation to three people she assaulted at a karaoke session.
It all started when the New Yorker did the popular “mic drop” after performing her song while participating in the session at a Dover, Christ Church hotel last Thursday.
The 32-year-old who made her third appearance in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court since being arrested was asked by a friend of the deejay to be careful with the equipment after she dropped the microphone the first time.
Gatling, a media manager, is reported to have shouted, “This is karaoke b******! This is karaoke b******!” after the caution was issued. She deliberately dropped the microphone again, but another unidentified American who was at the session with her caught it. She then walked over to the deejay’s friend and threatened to beat her along with everyone seated at the table.
Lisa Payne who was at the table intervened asking the two women to calm down but that appeared to upset Gatling who suddenly slapped Payne across the face twice.
A scuffle ensued between the two causing the deejay to step in and try to speak to the visitor but she reached past him and cuffed Payne. She took aim for a second time but Payne kicked her away.
The situation came to the attention of special constable Kerry Ann Burnett who was passing by. She identified herself to Gatling and tried to get information on what had transpired but all she got were two punches to the side of her head, which resulted in yet another altercation with Gatling biting her and leaving her with a laceration.
According to prosecutor Kenmore Phillips, the accused began to fight with hotel staff and other persons who attempted to arrest her including police constable Calvin Grosvenor. She bit the officer on the left forearm breaking his skin and forcing him to seek medical attention. He was treated and discharged. Other officers were called in to subdue Gatling who fought “violently” before she was placed in a police vehicle and taken to the Worthing Police Station.
A search was conducted while there and nine grammes of cannabis were found in a tobacco pouch inside a fanny pack she had around her waist.
She was charged with possession of cannabis; resisting as well as unlawfully and maliciously wounding Grosvenor; assaulting Payne occasioning her actual bodily harm and unlawfully and maliciously wounding Burnett on March 28, 2019.
When she appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant last Friday she pleaded guilty to the cannabis charge but not guilty to all the other offences.
She was remanded to HMP Dodds until today but made an appearance on Saturday before Magistrate Graveney Bannister on another drug offence. She was reprimanded and discharged.
After the facts were detailed Gatling offered an apology after saying she did not have much to say.
“I would like to apologise to the police officer because I was intoxicated . . . but it is not how it went down,” she said as an official from the American Embassy and Immigration Officers sat in on the proceedings. Her three victims who were also present accepted the apology.
Magistrate Cuffy-Sargeant then ordered that she pay forthwith compensations to those involved – $1,100 each to Grosvenor and Burnett and $800 to Payne. The monies were paid.
The deportation order was made on the cannabis charge and Gatling left in the company of immigration officials.
