The man accused of abusing ‘Radica’ was finally arrested and charged at the Weldaad Court and Magistrate Tejnarine Ramroop remanded him to prison on that count as well as in relation to robbery under arms and simple larceny.
It is alleged that 31-year-old Clifton Paul abused his reputed wife of four years Jaswantie Persaud, 33, known as ‘Radica’ on May 1 so as to cause her actual bodily harm.
The court heard too on Thursday that on June 2, Paul, while armed with a cutlass reportedly robbed Premlall Seelall of $10,000. He was also charged with stealing one bottle of El Dorado rum from Seelall on the same day.
Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Grace Bristol told the court that Seelall, a businessman of Cotton Tree was at Blairmont doing a delivery at the time when he was robbed.
She said Paul removed the bottle of rum from the truck and when Seelall confronted him and asked him to replace it he pulled out the cutlass and stuck him up. He then robbed the businessman of the cash.
The defendant was wanted by the police for allegedly abusing the woman and for the two other charges but had been on the run since. He was eventually captured and placed before the court, much to the relief of Persaud.
She had told this newspaper that while he was hiding from the police she was forced into hiding from him and had been living a nomadic life. She said she was afraid that he would find her which he in fact did, on two occasions.
The woman had said that the abuse heightened after the popular chutney
song: “Radica, why you leave and go,” began “playing all over”. She was “punished for having the same name”.
She had said that if the neighbours happened to play the song when the man was drunk, especially if they played the response which goes “I had a right to leave and go,” she would pay the penalty for it. “He gon start fuh beat me and tell me that I gon leave he and say the same thing about he.”
Persaud is separated from her first husband for whom she bore five children ages: 18, 17, 14, eight and five years old.
Paul had appeared in court almost two years ago for abusing her and was placed on a bond to keep the peace for one year. He was also ordered to stay 100 yards away from Persaud.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday and was remanded to prison until August 24 when he is scheduled to appear at the Blairmont Court.
