A security guard was fined $40,000 after admitting that he threatened his wife and mother-in-law on Independence night; he denied an assault charge and was placed on $30,000 bail when he appeared in court yesterday.
It is alleged that on May 26, at ‘C’ Field Sophia, Alonso Ralph, 32, of 3102 Section ‘C’, Turkeyen, allegedly assaulted and used threatening behaviour to his wife Rhonda Peters and his mother-in-law Yondel Peters. Ralph, who is a father of one, pleaded not guilty to the assault charge and guilty to the threatening behaviour charges when they were read to him in the court of Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul.
According to Police prosecutor David Goodridge, on the day in question, Ralph and Rhonda returned home from the Jubilee celebrations when an argument ensued between the two. He said the defendant picked up a cutlass and threatened his wife. At the same time, Goodridge said, when Yondel intervened, Ralph fired a chop in the direction where she and Rhonda were standing.
As a result, Yondel reported the matter to the police. According to the prosecutor, Ralph had also hit his wife on her foot with a baton demanding to know which man had given her money.
When asked by the magistrate if that was what had transpired on that day, Ralph replied that it was his wife who was the aggressor. He said he wanted her to come into the house to feed their child who was in the house crying but she refused to look after the child and that was when his temper flared. He admitted that he had a cutlass in his hand at the time but said he was not going to use it on them.
The prosecutor did not object to bail being granted and the magistrate subsequently fined Ralph $20,000 for each of the threatening behaviour charges and placed him on $30,000 bail for the assault charge. The matter was adjourned until June 22 for probation intervention.
