Man to pay $30,000 for slapping visually impaired cousin

A St James man who reportedly hit his visually impaired cousin in the face during an argument is expected to pay $30,000 in restitution by February 8, following his appearance in the St James Parish Court last week.

Garfield Birthright was before the court to answer to the charge of assault occasioning bodily harm. The court was told that on December 13, 2022, Birthright and the complainant got into a dispute in their family yard, during which Birthright threatened the complainant and then slapped him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Birthright also reportedly threatened bodily harm to other persons who were in the yard at the time of the incident.

"So why did you hit him?" presiding Parish Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton asked the defendant after the allegations were outlined.

"Your Honour, to be honest, it was just the heat of the moment, and we tried to work things out," Birthright answered.

However, the complainant asked Fairclough-Hylton to show leniency to his cousin, as he said Birthright had already apologised for his actions.

"He is my loving cousin, Your Honour, and we all live in one yard, and he also apologised to me and I accepted his apology. It is just a misunderstanding. We are all human and I just expect you to have some leniency because if I hurt him, it is like hurting my own self," the complainant pleaded.

The two men were subsequently ordered to speak with a probation officer, and following that mediation session, the court was told that Birthright had agreed to pay $30,000 to the complainant. The prosecution then made a no-evidence motion to dismiss the case against Birthright, and he was allowed to leave the court.