A man accused of threatening and slapping his wife after she refused to have sex with him was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment when he pleaded guilty to two charges at the city courts yesterday. Rawle Olliverre, 43, of 45 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, pleaded guilty when the charges of using threatening language and assaulting Lucy Fernandes were read to him by Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond.
According to Prosecutor Jomo Nichols, Olliverre went home at about midnight on January 20 and found his wife asleep. After waking Fernandes, the man asked the woman to have sex with him. However, she refused. Olliverre reportedly became enraged and dealt a slap to the right side of Fernandes’ face, causing abrasions. He then threatened to “chop her up.”
After Olliverre’s acceptance of the facts, a medical record of Fernandes’ injuries was presented to the Magistrate by Nichols, substantiating the prosecutor’s case. Olliverre’s lawyer, Paul Fung-a-Fat, explained that his client knew that he had been wrong to slap Fernandes. Fung-a-Fat further stated that Olliverre, who is a labourer in the interior, had simply gone home in an amorous mood. When given an opportunity to speak, the man explained that he and his wife would often have problems involving an alleged relationship she had with another man.
He claimed she would usually leave their home with the man and return much later.
He added that in the past Fernandes had burst his head and threatened to “lock him up” if he ever hit her. However, Magistrate Chandan-Edmond emphasised that his explanation was no excuse for his actions. He was sentenced to three months imprisonment for threatening Fernandes and nine months for the assault.
