Lennox Cort, a detainee who was recaptured after escaping from the Providence Police Station on Monday and was sentenced to a year imprisonment for the crime on Tuesday, has denied brutalizing his fiancée and cousin.
Cort, 29, and a father of three, had been arrested and placed in police custody after being charged with unlawfully wounding, threatening language and assault causing actual bodily harm.
Before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court One on Tuesday, the man pleaded guilty to the charge that he, on May 26, at Providence, East Bank Demerara, escaped from lawful custody.
He quickly acknowledged the charge. Cort also apologised to the court during his address.
When questioned about any previous convictions, the man admitted that he had been previously sentenced to nine months imprisonment.
This time around, he was sentenced to 12 months at the Camp Street Prison.
Meanwhile, Cort answered to the charges of assault causing actual bodily harm and threatening language committed against his fiancée, Rashauna Semple, and unlawful wounding of his cousin, Devon Pile on Tuesday in the court of Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond.
According to the police’s case against him, on May 25th, at his home, Cort dealt Semple several cuffs to her mouth and body at his home. It is further alleged that he dragged her down some stairs, after which she ran outside. Cort then allegedly took a brick to the left side of Semple’s head and Pile, his cousin, intervened.
According to the police, Pile, who lives in the upstairs apartment of the same address, heard the commotion and went to Semple’s rescue. He begged Cort to stop and attempted to take Semple into his apartment when Cort allegedly threatened to kill Semple and picked up a piece of wood and struck Pile, which caused him to collapse on the ground. Neighbours intervened and took the two injured persons to the hospital.
The matter was later reported to the Alberttown Police Station after which the defendant was arrested and sent to the Providence Police Station to await his court hearing.
Cort, who had previously served nine months in prison for a similar charge pleaded not guilty. He will return to Court Ten on June 2 when the case will be called again.
