By FARRAH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
THE mother and son of a man accused of assaulting his child’s mother during an argument on Independence Day have supported his claims of self-defence.
The 32-year-old accused, whose name has been withheld to protect the identity of his former partner and juvenile son, denied the allegations during his trial before Magistrate Kendra Kelly.
When he gave evidence, he told the court that he slapped his 13-year-old son’s mother in self-defence after she allegedly threatened him with a screwdriver and hurled a can of vegetables at him.
When the accused’s son took the stand, he said on July 10 he and his father planned to attend a basketball tournament, but he didn’t have any clothes. He said when he went to his mother’s residence to get some of his belongings and take a shower, his mother started “talking bad” about his dad and complained about how the accused didn’t take care of him. The boy said his dad overheard his mother when he came into the house and an argument followed. He said during the verbal altercation, his mother kept “getting in father’s face” although he “continuously” told her to stop.
“She then pick up a screwdriver and pointed it at him,” the boy said. “My grammy came to try to stop it, but when her and my daddy left, my mummy went to the kitchen, grabbed a can of corn and run outside to burst my daddy.”
When the accused’s mother testified, she said she noticed her son was parked in front of his “baby mother’s” house on the day in question. She said as she approached the residence, she heard “loud noises” and saw her grandchild sitting in the doorway of the house. She said when she went inside, she met her son holding his ex-girlfriend’s hands.
I told him ‘Let’s go,’” she told the court. “I ended up getting push, but eventually got him to leave. When we went outside, the two of them exchanged words and she threw a can of corn at him.”
The accused’s mother said that’s when her son “turned around and hit” the woman. She said she then told him to stop and they left shortly after.
The accused’s mother was the last person to testify on behalf of the defence. After the accused closed his case, the prosecution told the court that they planned to maintain their position on the assault charge.
Magistrate Kelly is to deliver her ruling on December 10.
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