A young woman was yesterday fined $25,000 after pleading guilty with explanation to unlawfully assaulting a friend. According to the facts presented by Prosecutor Bharat Mangru, on March 20, Joann Van Sertima dealt Casey Thompson several cuffs about her body after she heard Thompson was going around gossiping about her.
When Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry asked Van Sertima for her explanation, she said, “She [Thompson] was going around the place talking about me. I din able anymore. When she walked pass me, she jammed me. I don’t know if was wilfully or an accident, but I cuffed her once and she pushed me back. Then the fight was parted.”
Taking into consideration that Van Sertima had no prior convictions, she was given the option to either pay a $25,000 fine or spend two weeks in jail.
