A 52-year-old businessman yesterday appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court to answer the charge of unlawful assault.

It is alleged that on June 9 at West Demerara, Ignatius Do Santos of 66 Broad Street unlawfully assaulted Omar Ramgulam so as to cause him actual bodily harm.

Do Santos pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him by the Acting Chief Magistrate.

Attorney-at-law Paul Fung-a-Fat who represented the defendant, told the court that his client and the virtual complainant (VC) had a minor misunderstanding concerning a dredge and the VC decided to bring unlawful assault charges against the defendant. The attorney said that at no time did an assault occur and even if that were the case, the charge should have been a common assault one and not that of the more serious unlawful assault.

Fung-a-Fat then made an application for reasonable bail to be granted his client on the grounds that he has no previous antecedents, poses no risk of flight, has a fixed place of abode and has been cooperating with the police in their investigations.

Police Prosecutor Denise Griffith argued, however, that the charge could not be one of common assault since the VC who was not in court had suffered actual bodily harm.

The prosecution, however, had no objection to the bail application made by the lawyer.

The father of four was subsequently placed on $40,000 bail and ordered to attend the Christianburg Magistrate’s Court on June 30.