Man remanded over allegedly abusing, stalking estranged wife

A man accused of assaulting and stalking his estranged wife was yesterday remanded to prison, when he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The allegation before Saywack Nauth Dasrath, 36, is that on January 22 at Brickdam and Cornhill streets he unlawfully assaulted Demi Hepplewaithe.

Dasrath, who was unrepresented by counsel, pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

Police Prosecutor Vishnu Hunt objected to bail stating that the defendant was previously charged and convicted by the same court of a similar offence committed against Hepplewaithe.

Hunt further went on to say that the court had made an order under the Domestic Violence Act against the defendant and he was in breach of the act.

Hepplewaithe, who had retained attorney Paul Fung-a-Fat, when given a chance to speak, told the court that the man continues to harass her and her family on a daily basis.  She said she is afraid to walk on the streets and has arranged for a taxi to pick her up because she is afraid he might kill her. She said the man would call her landline phone and make death threats to her.

She said she received over 100 phone calls from the man and this forced her to change all her numbers.

The woman further went on to say that the accused would go to her home with pictures that had blood on them and with flowers.

Dasrath denied all of the woman’s allegations and told the court that she is his wife.

Hepplewaithe however informed the court that she had filed for divorce and that the papers had been served to him. The accused told the court that he was never at the virtual complainant’s home.

The woman rebutted that he was lying and said that because of his harassment she had installed security cameras on her home.

Dasrath said that the VC and her mother would go to his home and harass his mother.

Hepplewaithe then told the court that his mother was not in the country, so there was no way she could have harassed her.

The man then said that when he was at the police station he was told that he had an option to pay $20,000 or spend 6 months in prison. He said that he paid the money.

Magistrate Latchman, after listening to both sides, refused to grant Dasrath bail. He will make his next court appearance on February 26.