By FARRAH JOHNSON
fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
AN Eleuthera woman who falsely accused her ex-boyfriend of beating her child had her case dismissed with a warning in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Daniel Knowles, 23, appeared before Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans charged with deceiving a public officer after she gave a false statement to PC941 Elvies on May 17.
She pleaded guilty and was discharged after her attorney told the magistrate she was struggling financially and could not afford to pay a fine.
Prosecutor Kendrick Bauld told the court Knowles came to the Elizabeth Estates Police Station to file a complaint against her ex-boyfriend on May 17. At the time, Knowles claimed that she had observed him causing injuries to their child. As a result, an investigation was launched and officers facilitated a conversation between the defendant and the suspect in their presence.
Sgt Bauld said during the interview, Knowles changed her story and said that she didn’t see her ex-boyfriend beat the child. Instead she said that she had just heard a loud noise and was upset with her ex-boyfriend, so she decided to report the manner.
During the hearing, Knowles’ attorney said his client was an unemployed mother of an 18-month and eight-month-old child. He also noted that Knowles lives in Harbour Island and had only come to Nassau to visit her baby’s father. Stating that the defendant did not waste the court’s time by pleading guilty at her first opportunity, Knowles’ counsel asked the court for leniency and to let his client go with a warning, so that she could understand the seriousness of her offence.
In response, Magistrate Vogt-Evans told Knowles that she had a problem with her putting her ex-boyfriend in a difficult situation because of her own emotions. She also noted that Knowles’ feelings at the time could not excuse what she did and insisted her actions were a serious offence. Stating that the best advice she could give Knowles was to sit down and have a conversation with God, Magistrate Vogt-Evans let the defendant go with a warning and urged her not to return to court for a similar offence.
In a separate case, a 27-year-old man was charged with drug possession.
Darius Brown appeared before Deputy Chief Andrew Forbes after officers found him with one and a quarter ounces of Indian hemp on May 21. The prosecution said the drugs had a street value of $100.
He pleaded guilty and was ordered to attend drug counselling classes at the Department of Social Services for 12 months.
During the hearing, Brown was represented by attorney Ian Cargill. He told the magistrate that his client had no pending matters and had pleaded guilty at his first opportunity. He also noted that Brown was a father of an eight and five-year-old and insisted he was remorseful for his actions.
After sentencing Brown, Magistrate Forbes warned him that if he didn’t attend the classes or failed any random drug tests the course would administer, he would be convicted of the offence and spend six months in prison.
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