A man who claimed that frustration made him repeatedly attack his wife and forced him to escape from police custody was yesterday sentenced to two years, six months in prison by Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan.
Garvin Marshall, 39, of C Field, Turkeyen pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, escaping from lawful custody, unlawful assault, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
It is alleged that on February 14 at C Field, South Turkeyen he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Sharon Forde, his wife. On March 6 at Georgetown while being in lawful custody pending the criminal matter of unlawful wounding, he escaped. On the same date at C Field, Turkeyen he assaulted Forde. He also assaulted and resisted Colin Primus, a police officer acting in the execution of his duties.
Police prosecutor Sherwin Matthews who read the facts of the case stated that on February 14 Marshall and his wife had an argument and he wounded her. Later when he was arrested he jumped out of the police vehicle and ran away. He was pursued but assaulted the officer and escaped. That night he went back to his wife’s home and again assaulted her. He was later arrested. Matthews said that Marshall had also served six months in prison when he was convicted last July for assaulting his wife. Matthews asked the court to take into consideration Forde’s injuries before passing sentence. The woman’s face was badly swollen and her left eye closed.
The court was also told that Marshall repeatedly stalked, assaulted and beat his wife and that they are separated.
Marshall who wanted to tell his side of the story said, “I never get sentence for beating my wife. I give her $1,300 to buy food and cook and she left with the money and went to Berbice by a man and cook for him.” He added, “I was frustrated and I went to look for her and left the child in the house and the police find the child alone and they sentence me for child cruelty.”
He continued, “We living together all the time and I always bringing she back from the fellow and I wound her one time because I was frustrated with the fellow. I escaped from the police because of frustration.”
The magistrate after listening to all sides sentenced Marshall to two years in prison for the wounding and two years for escaping from the police. Those two sentences are to run concurrently. He also fined him $10,000 or an alternative of three months in prison for assault and sentenced him to three months each for assaulting the police and resisting the officer.
