Woman breaks JP’s jawbone

An unemployed Kingston woman was yesterday ordered to pay $500,000 compensation to a justice of the peace (JP) for dislocating her jawbone during a dispute that arose over the JP's alleged involvement with the husband of the offender's friend.

Mellisa Johnson, 47, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court and is to return with the payment on September 23, when she will be sentenced. The court heard that on July 30, the complainant was driving in her car when she slowed down to drive over a sleeping police. Johnson reportedly flung a stone and hit her in the face. The court heard that four persons had to restrain Johnson from further attacking the complainant. Johnson denied that the dispute was about the affair.

"She is having an affair with my friend's husband but it is not about that. She went on my Facebook page cussing me out," said Johnson, adding that the complainant had also sent several threatening texts to her phone.

However, Johnson said on the day of the incident she was outside her home when the complainant drove over her foot. Johnson said she then flashed her hand in the car and the complainant stabbed at her repeatedly with a ratchet knife and she retaliated by hitting her with the stone.

Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague said that based on the doctor's report, the complainant had suffered blunt trauma to the left side of her face, a dislocated mandibula and has been unable to eat since the incident.

Johnson was then told that the complainant wanted $500,000 for her injuries, which the judge agreed was not an unreasonable sum. Johnson said she was not able to say when she could pay the sum. She later admitted that she was unemployed. The judge attached two conditions to Johnson's bail for her to have no contact or communication with the complaint.