(Jamaica Observer) A former Jamaica Defence Force soldier who has reportedly been stalking his ex-lover and assaulted both her and her current young lover on separate occasions, claiming the young man had destroyed his family, was remanded for psychiatric evaluation when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court last week.
The alleged offender, 50-year-old Richard Saunders, was recently arrested and charged with assaulting a woman and assault occasioning bodily harm, stemming from the alleged incidents with the two complainants.
In the first alleged attack, the court heard that on May 2 the 50-year-old complainant was at an ice cream company on Half-Way-Tree Road about to make a purchase when she heard someone behind her saying “explain this”.
The complainant reportedly turned around and saw that it was Saunders and proceeded to buy the ice cream.
However, it was reported that while she was paying for the sweet treat she felt an impact to her right eye and received several blows to her face, resulting in her nose being swollen.
Three men reportedly intervened and pulled Saunders away, and she subsequently reported the matter.
In the second incident, which allegedly occurred on June 3, Saunders’ ex-lover and her 23-year-old boyfriend went to a fast food establishment at Twin Gates Plaza in Kingston.
The young man left his companion in the car and went inside the restaurant, but while he was there standing in a line someone held him from behind around his neck and asked “How long you think you coulda run for?”
The puzzled complainant, on seeing that it was Saunders, responded by asking what he meant but was reportedly slapped in his face.
“A you mash up mi family and mek mi youth a mad,” Saunders reportedly told the complainant before reportedly hitting him in the face again.
The complainant reportedly became fearful as he knew Saunders was a licensed firearm holder and this tried to leave, but he was prevented from doing so.
Security guards who were in the establishment reportedly held onto Saunders and told the complainant to leave, and he complied.
After the allegations were outlined in court last Tuesday Parish Judge Maxine Ellis asked Pearson, the defendants attorney, how he was proceeding, and he indicated that his client had told him that he would be taking a certain course.
But at the same time, the attorney told the judge that his client had challenges with his own mental capacity and that there was also a marked change in his client’s behaviour compared to when he first saw him last Thursday and now (Tuesday).
Additionally, he said that based on what he was told by the police, his client had been behaving badly in the jail cell and he had asked for him to be evaluated.
The judge in response said if Saunders was attacking persons then she would indeed send him for an evaluation.
She then questioned how it was it that Saunders knew where the complainants would be and was told by the liaison officer that the female complainant had made several reports at the police station in August Town and complained that she could go nowhere in peace and was afraid of Saunders.
The judge then remarked that persons should be allowed to go about their business freely.
She also warned Saunders, who had come into court crouching in pain, that she would not be giving him bail because of his condition. Instead, she made an order for him to be seen by a doctor as he told them he could not remember when was the last time he had eaten and was having belly pains.
Saunders was remanded until July 31.
