Dear Editor,
I read two reports carried in your newspaper recently, one dealing with the violence by a Minister of Government and the other by a man in Grove. The latter was the one that touched me the most.
How could this man continuously abuse this woman in such a terrible way, and she did not pursue charges because of fear or whatever.
In what I had read, he chopped her in her head, attempted to dig out her eye, chopped her hand all of which caused her to be hospitalized. He then made her take her own discharge, still not healed from the hospital.
My great concern is that the laws need to be changed. Though someone may no longer desire to pursue charges for whatever reason, once there is evidence of physical assault by the accused that person should still be prosecuted. The act is a misdemeanour/felony.
In the USA if the victim calls 911 and the accused shows evidence of assault the victim/caller is arrested. In addition if you are a frequent caller of 911 to ask for help to settle domestic violence and then drop prosecution, you are required to pay the costs for the police service.
Yours faithfully,
(name and address supplied)