Man gets suspended sentence for assaulting ex-girlfriend

A St James man who attacked and beat his ex-girlfriend during a confrontation in July got a suspended sentence when he appeared in the St James Parish Court last week.

Rohan Scott, who had previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, got an 18-month prison sentence which was suspended for two years. The facts are that on July 15, Scott went to the complainant's home and asked her to purchase lunch with him. Shortly afterward, he invited her to his house, where he then physically assaulted her and caused injuries to her hands and pain to her neck.

During his sentencing hearing before presiding Parish Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton, Scott apologised for his actions against the complainant, noting their relationship ended around the time of the incident.

"I am sorry for everything that happened, you know. I made a mistake, Your Honour," Scott told the judge.

"This is the first time you are going to the lock-up, Mr Scott?" Fairclough-Hylton asked, referencing Scott's time that he spent in police custody.

"Yes, Your Honour," said Scott.

"I realise the fact that you entered a plea of guilty at the first opportunity and did not waste the court's time. However, the fact that the mother of your child is no longer in a relationship with you does not justify you putting your hands on her, and it should never happen. I also take into account the fact that she has expressed that she is afraid of you," Fairclough-Hylton said sternly.

Fairclough-Hylton subsequently issued the suspended sentence, while warning Scott to stay out of trouble.

"In the next two years, if you commit any offence, you are going to prison for 18 months. You are not going to prison now, but the ball is in your court. So in the next two years, stay out of trouble," Fairclough-Hylton warned Scott.

"Yes, Your Honour, thank you very much. I won't disappoint," Scott replied, before being allowed to leave the courtroom.