Court orders ‘abusive’ woman to keep the peace or face jail

Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry yesterday put a woman, who admitted to verbally abusing an ex-partner, on a bond to keep the peace for a year, failing which she will be jailed for two weeks.

Minerva McGarrel, 35, admitted that on Tuesday, she made use of abusive language to a “Corporal Frazer,” whereby a breach of the peace was occasioned.

McGarrel, who asked to explain what happened, said that she and Frazer had a relationship for a while, but she later ended it, telling him that she wanted nothing to do with him. She said that she told him countless times that she wanted no contact with him but he would still try to see her from time to time.

On Tuesday, McGarrel said, she and a friend were in the city when Frazer approached from the opposite direction. She added that he went up to her and she rebuked him and two had an exchange of words, during which she used abusive language towards him.

The Chief Magistrate, after hearing McGarrel’s explanation, placed her on a bond to keep the peace for a year with an alternative of two weeks imprisonment.