A taxi driver was on Wednesday found guilty of verbally abusing a lawyer and was placed on a bond to keep the peace.
Lakeram Raghubir pleaded not guilty to using abusive language towards attorney Bettina Glasford on October 2, 2013. In their final appearance, before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, Raghubir and Glasford were both given the opportunity to recount the day in question.
According to reports, the incident had stemmed from Raghubir’s refusal to move his parked vehicle from in front of Glasford’s business.
According to Glasford, the two had a confrontation on Croal Street, Georgetown during which she said, the man verbally abused her.
She added that he had also said something about her “grave”. However, she had not caught his words clearly. She said she had asked him if he was threatening her but he refused to answer.
According to the lawyer, Raghubir had been speaking aggressively and at the top of his voice, drawing a large crowd.
After Glasford gave her sworn statement, Raghubir was given the opportunity to question her as she remained in the box. He asked her if she was aware that he had been a client of the business, owned by her father, for over a decade. She responded in the negative to this question. He then asked her if she was aware that it was a place where people can go and conduct business; to this she admitted that it was.
Raghubir also elected to given a sworn statement in which he claimed that during the argument, Glasford had pointed her finger in his face.
However, Prosecutor Michael Grant noted that this information was missing from his initial statement given at the police station.
An officer stationed at the Brickdam Police Station also gave evidence. During her time on the stand, she stated that Glasford had made a report claiming that she had been verbally abused by Raghubir. She added that she, along with Glasford, went and arrested Raghubir, who denied the allegation. The officer said she later went and made enquiries on Croal Street where the incident occurred, but no one gave any information.
After the witnesses testified, Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry noted discrepancies in Raghubir’s defence, including the fact that he had never questioned Glasford about if he had indeed used the abusive words towards her. He was therefore found guilty and bonded to keep the peace.
