-court hears how wife  found woman under bed

A woman and her son of Rosignol, West Berbice who were charged with assault were placed on $30,000 bail each when they appeared at the Weldaad Court on Thursday before Magistrate Tejnarine Ramroop.

It is alleged that on May 10 at Rosignol, Liloutie Sewpersaud, 54 a housewife and her son, Arnold Sewpersaud, 26 assaulted 23-year-old Shaneeza Hartman so as to cause her actual bodily harm.

Attorney-at-law, Joel Persid Edmond, representing the defendants told the court that the number two accused who resides at a separate address was not present during the incident.

He said that in fact Arnold had dropped his mother home after attending a religious function and left.

From his instructions, he said, Liloutie went upstairs to see her husband, a 62-year-old who had been bed-ridden following a spinal injury he sustained during a recent accident when she heard a noise in the bedroom.

Upon investigating she realized that someone was under her bed and pleaded with the person to come out. The lawyer said that eventually Hartman emerged from under the bed and when questioned what she was doing there she could not provide an explanation.

According to the lawyer, the woman’s husband, a United States resident who has since collapsed and died, told her that Hartman was trying to force him “to sign a paper.”

A scuffle then ensued between the two women resulting in both of them sustaining injuries. He said too that he was surprised that Hartman was not charged with assault as well or even with “trespassing.”

The lawyer submitted that Hartman was employed at the Sewpersauds store and had taken some household articles without paying for them and that the police were investigating that matter.

He said too that his clients were initially told to appear at the Blairmont Court yesterday but because of biased allegations that Hartman made in the Kaieteur News his clients were charged hurriedly.

Edmond also told the court that Arnold was about to leave with his father – who was on his way to seek medical treatment in the US – for the airport when several police officers swooped down on them and took them to the Blairmont Police Station.

He said his clients were kept for one and a half hours before they were finally taken to the Weldaad Court.

Reports are that Arnold’s father ended up missing his flight because of the delay at court and his condition worsened from the additional stress and had to be rushed to hospital where he succumbed.

The matter has been transferred to the Blairmont Court for June 6.