Girlfriend assaulted

A St Michael man who admitted to assaulting his former girlfriend and damaging her phone will know his fate in December.

When Gabriel Alonzo Payne, 29, of 1st Avenue Grazettes New Land, St Michael, appeared in the District ‘D’ Magistrates’ Court, he was granted bail in the sum of $3 000 by acting Magistrate Deborah Beckles.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting Kedijah Catlin occasioning her actual bodily harm and damaging her cellular phone.

Both offences took place on September 3, 2022.

Payne also faces two other charges to which he was not required to plead as they occurred in the District ‘A’ jurisdiction.

He is alleged to have unlawfully assaulted Gloria Collymore on September 3, entered the dwelling house of Maxine James as a trespasser and inflicted bodily harm to Cherise Jordan on the same date.

He was released on $4 000 bail for those offences which were transferred to the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court for hearing on September 12.

Payne was represented by attorney-at-law Alvan Babb.

According to the facts in the case related to his former girlfriend, prosecutor Sergeant Victoria Taitt outlined that the complainant and the accused shared an intimate relationship for nine months.

She said arrangements were made for the complainant to visit his residence and he collected her from her home but stopped along a road. When the complainant asked him why he stopped the vehicle he told her that he wanted sex.

After she refused, he opened the door and told her to get out but she refused. He then pushed her out and they began to scuffle resulting in her sustaining injuries to her legs and stomach.

The complainant then tried to use the phone to call her sister but Payne took it from her and slammed it into the ground, damaging it.

The complainant subsequently ran away and reported the matter to the police.

The magistrate adjourned the matter until December 2, when a pre-sentencing report is expected to be completed.