Man punches woman for calling him ‘frowsy’

A corporate area man, who punched a woman in her face for describing him as a 'frowsy' man, has agreed to compensate her for the injuries she sustained.

When the matter came up in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Thursday, the court was told that sometime last month, the defendant, Neville James, was a customer at a car wash when the complainant approached him and told him to get up from her seat, claiming she was there before James but had left to purchase a drink at a nearby bar.

James said he told the complainant that he would not be getting up and invited the complainant to sit beside him as the space was big enough to accommodate both. However, the complainant reportedly responded to James' offer by saying, "Me nah siddung beside nuh frownsy man," which angered James. He then punched her in her face.

"But it sounds like she [the complainant] is the aggressor. When there is case before the court and the complainant is the aggressor, it troubles the credibility of the matter," Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell told the prosecution.

According to the judge, based on the information before the court, it was the complainant who approached James with aggression, causing him to retaliate. owever, an on-the-spot mediation between James and the complainant generated a settlement, which saw James agreeing to pay over $16,000 as compensation. A first payment of $10,000 was paid in court and the matter was adjourned until May 2 for the remaining $6,000 to be paid. James did not enter a plea for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

- T.T.