Leslie Charles was yesterday sentenced to one year in jail after he admitted to slapping his former partner after she hit him.
Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond, however, imposed the one year prison sentence on Charles, after finding that his attack was unprovoked.
When the case was called at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, it was the police’s contention that Charles, on January, 8, at about 20:20hrs, at Waterloo Street, during a misunderstanding, dealt Tandi Daly several cuffs, causing her to suffer injuries. Prosecutor Jomo Nichols said Daly, with whom Charles shares a child, dealt each other cuffs during the misunderstanding and were both charged.
The court heard from Charles that on the day in question he had met with Daly to discuss their child. During the discussion, he added, he received a phone call from his girlfriend and Daly asked him to answer and inform the woman that he was talking with her. Charles said he turned off the phone instead, which prompted Daly to try to take it from him. In the midst of the scuffle, he said, Daly slapped him, causing him to cuff her in her face in retaliation.
Charles told the magistrate that he was sorry for what he did; however, he maintained the injury Daly suffered was caused by an accident. He also noted that he has five children to support.
Meanwhile, the court heard from Daly that she was assaulted by Charles before. When the magistrate enquired whether she had reported the assault, she said no and explained that she did not because he had apologised to her.
The magistrate, in delivering her ruling, said that based on her revision of the accounts of what transpired, she thought that Daly didn’t intentionally hit Charles but that his retaliation was an unprovoked attack. Subsequently she told Daly that the court found her not guilty, while she informed Charles that he would be incarcerated.
An emotional Daly exited the courtroom and ran into the arms of a relative after Charles’ sentencing.
