Six months jail for beating wife who refused to return home

Marvin Hutson, the man accused of assaulting his wife after she refused to return home with him on Tuesday last was yesterday sentenced to a six-month prison term after appearing before Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

After a 20-minute trial which saw the investigating officer taking to the witness box as well as the defendant, Hutson was eventually handed the sentence.

As he stood in the docks of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, the defendant told the magistrate that he wished to enter the witness box and relate to the court what had transpired on the day in question.

As he did when he made his first appearance on Tuesday, moments after being slapped with the unlawful assault charge, the defendant said he was going to work when he saw his wife, and out of excitement ran towards her and gave her a hug and a kiss. Up until this point, Hutson said, his wife had no problem with his presence.  He said he then asked her to return to their home so that they could “talk over” her decision to file for a divorce and she replied positively. Moments later, he said that he offered to fetch her bag and as he was attempting to do so, a policeman on a mobile patrol approached him and demanded an explanation as to what was transpiring.

After explaining to him what the matter was, Marvin said, he was then ordered to the Brickdam Police Station where he was later arrested and charged with the offence.
It was at this point that the acting chief magistrate entered a not guilty plea on the man’s behalf. She then remanded him to prison until yesterday when the brief trial occurred.