Man charged for cutlass assault on girlfriend

Shawn Griffith, 32, of Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge, was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, for allegedly beating and chopping his girlfriend.

He was not required to enter a plea for the indictable charge of felonious wounding read by acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson. It is alleged that on February 2, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Sandra Park with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause her grievous bodily harm.

Prosecutor Stephen Telford had noted that Griffith and Park had been living together for almost two years and he had always been in the habit of abusing her. He stated that on the day of the attack, Griffith and Park had an argument and he picked up a piece of wood and used it to deal her several blows about her head and body. When Park fell to the ground, he said, Griffith picked up a cutlass and chopped her to the back of her right foot. Park was hospitalised, as a result of the incident, and a report was made to the police station. Griffith was later arrested and charged.

Telford objected to bail when Griffith suggested it, on the grounds that this was not the first time that he had assaulted Park and that if released he may interfere with her. However, Griffith stated that on the day in question he had an argument with Park who had ordered him to leave her home. He said that he took up his plasma television and had gone outside when Park started to pelt him with glass bottles. He stated that she then approached him and that an altercation soon ensued, which resulted in her falling on a piece of broken glass from the bottles that she had earlier thrown at him.

The magistrate then refused bail for Griffith and ordered that he make another court appearance on February 19.