Contractor ‘sorry’ for assaulting health minister

Contractor Michael Alphonsa Harris issued an unreserved public apology after appearing in court on Tuesday on charges of assaulting and using threatening words towards Minister of Health Senator Lisa Cummins, saying his conduct stemmed from immense personal frustration and pressure over a school project deadline.

Harris, 56, of Seales Avenue, Goodland, St Michael, spoke shortly after his court appearance and expressed deep regret for his conduct during the confrontation on Saturday.

Heightened stress over a deadline for the project drove his behaviour, he told reporters.

“I [want] to say it nationally, I apologise for my actions,” Harris said. “But my actions happen out of frustration. I was under a lot of pressure to get my school project finished.”

Black Rock Police Station detectives arrested and charged Harris with assaulting Senator Cummins and using threatening words towards her, following an incident in which Harris spotted the health minister, culminating in a confrontation after what he described as an ongoing disagreement.

Harris appeared before Magistrate Jared Richards in the Traffic Court, where Harris was placed on a three-month bond to keep the peace, with no conviction recorded.

Under the court order, any breach of the peace during the next three months could carry a fine of $2 000 or a one-month prison term for the assault charge, alongside an additional $1 500 immediate fine or one month in prison for the threatening words charge.

Harris recounted the agony of a night in Dodds Prison before his morning court appearance. He said the experience deeply affected him, despite the courteous treatment he received from police officers and medical personnel who checked his vital signs.

He said: “When I reached the precinct, everyone greeted me with respect. Everybody take care of me very well [and told] me: ‘Just be strong overnight, you’re gonna be good. Tomorrow you’re gonna get to go home.’

“From this morning until I get up, see a doctor, see a nurse, check pressure… It was an experience that I would not want to go back through again. But in life you learn from that experience… right there, you see it and understand the system.”

Harris reflected on his brief stay in custody, where detainees were held. Being the oldest person in that section of the station, he found himself surrounded by remarkably young men facing serious legal troubles, a sight that left a lasting emotional impact on him.

“I was there all along in the corridor… I was the oldest guy on that corridor,” Harris remarked. “I see all the youngsters on that corridor, and it was painful to see so much young men in jail.”

Passing on a message to the younger generation based on what he witnessed, he urged them to avoid actions that lead to incarceration and to stay out of trouble.

“The young men got to pull up their shoes, as my mother used to tell me, you got to keep your peace,” Harris said.

Now facing a three-month period under the court-mandated bond, Harris said he remained fully committed to keeping the peace, paying any necessary fines and putting the troubling legal chapter firmly behind him.

(RR)