Psychiatric evaluation ordered for woman charged with damaging windscreen

A Lnden woman brought before the courts on a damage to property charge was on Thursday granted bail and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Vanessa Tudor, originally of Linden but staying at Lot 7 C Riverview, Ruimveldt, appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry accused of damaging a minibus’s front windshield on July 15 at Croal Street. The $97,000 windshield was reportedly the property of Titus Lynch.

The facts were as charged, Prosecutor Bharat Mangru said.

After pleading guilty to the charge, Tudor was given the opportunity to explain herself. However, she went on for nearly 15 minutes giving the magistrate her story. On numerous occasions she was ordered to quiet down.

According to the defendant, Lynch had wronged her by driving over and damaging items belonging to her including a percolator and several jerseys.

Though she had made a report to a police station, she had received no justice because the officers had believed Lynch’s claims that she was “insane. I fed up that I ain’t getting no justice,” Tudor lamented.

Attorney Paul Fung-a-Fat represented the woman pro bono and asked for reasonable bail.

He also requested that her family be contacted for fear that she is “taken advantage of” in prison. Hearing these words, an angry Tudor exclaimed, “I ain’t paying no bail! Nobody can’t take advantage of me; I can represent myself.”

Taking Tudor’s antics into consideration, Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry ordered a psychiatric evaluation before placing the woman on $25,000 bail.

She is scheduled to appear again on July 25 for reports.

Later in the day, Tudor was seen being placed in the prison van. She was bleeding profusely from the head.

Soon afterwards, a handcuffed Tudor took a swipe with a heeled sandal at two officers, protesting being placed in the van.