A man, who was accused of throwing pepper sauce in a woman’s face, was yesterday placed on $25,000 bail, when he appeared before Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Chamanlall Sukhra, 38, of 149 Section B Block X, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara pleaded guilty “with explanation” to a charge of unlawfully assaulting the woman so as to cause bodily harm.
The woman’s husband, who was also charged with unlawfully making use of threatening language, was placed on $10,000 bail.
It is alleged that on January 18 at Sheriff Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, Sukhra mixed pepper sauce with water and threw it in Rajkumarie Persaud’s face.
According to Sukhra, sometime before the incident he was having domestic problems and his nine-year-old son was living with Persaud and her husband, Mahadeo Ramkishore, during that period of time.
Sukhra also handed over his cane-juice stall to the couple. He explained to the court that they were to operate the stall for two months and then return the responsibility to him at the end of this time. However, he said, it was brought to his attention that Persaud and Ramkishore were sending his son out at late hours in the night to gather cane and to do other things. Sukhra immediately removed his child from their care and took control of his stall again. Sometime later the couple established a cane-juice stall next to his and he said that Persaud verbally abused him often.
He denied throwing pepper sauce in the woman’s face. Sukhra explained that it was a cup of water he threw in the woman’s face.
Persaud had a different story to tell. She told the court it was Sukhra who constantly initiated arguments. She said that Sukhra, her husband’s cousin, often went to their house for a meal. It was on one such occasion, she said, that she was forced to discipline the man. Persaud, further added, the man often spread rumours about her, verbally abused her and on the day in question he spit on her.
She said that Sukhra was brazen enough to run in front of her stall and throw pepper sauce mixed with water in her face. After the incident, Persaud instructed her husband to leave the man alone and she was taken to the hospital. The matter was later reported to the Kitty police station.
On January 19, the day it was alleged Ramkishore unlawfully made use of threatening language to Sukhra, the woman said she didn’t open her cane-juice stall. Her husband pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him by the magistrate and all he said about the matter was he wouldn’t know anything about Sukhra’s accusations because he wasn’t present at that time.
The matter was transferred to Court Two and will continue on February 8.
