A man’s remorse was enough on Friday to spare him a jail sentence after he was found guilty of assault.
Jamal Simon does still, however, face up to three months in jail if he fails to pay a fine of $50,000 that was imposed on him by Magistrate Annette Singh in a Georgetown court. Simon, 22, was charged with assaulting Andre Harding.
Magistrate Singh told him that she disbelieved his story that Harding attacked him and she pointed out that during his trial he admitted that he was angered by the complainant and had retaliated.
After the magistrate told Simon of the guilty verdict, she sought his response as to why he should not be given the maximum sentence of five years in jail.
Simon then apologised for his actions and told the court that he will not allow himself to be placed in such a situation again.
“I am not a troublesome person, your worship… when you get in trouble you does get a little over you head and at that said moment I wasn’t thinking… I should not have allowed that to happen in the first place. I am sorry and I promise that I will be a better man,” Simon pleaded.
The magistrate then said she had considered that Simon showed remorse for his actions and fined him $50,000. He was given one week to pay the fine, failing which he would have to serve a three-month-long prison sentence.
In addition, both men were placed on a bond to be on good behaviour for one year. A breach of the bond will result in a one-month prison sentence.
But after Harding was told of the magistrate’s ruling, he became annoyed and began to point angrily and to question the court’s ruling. “Da mean I can’t goh out back there to wuk. Is two man beat me,” he argued before he was quieted by the prosecutor.
However, he became more enraged and the magistrate ordered that he be arrested and locked up. About an hour later, he was brought back in handcuffs and placed in the prisoners’ dock. The magistrate subsequently reprimanded him for his conduct and warned that a repeat would see him being charged.
