Pregnant woman hit with hammer in belly

Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell reprimanded a 24-year-old woman for attacking and assaulting a pregnant woman with a hammer.

The defendant, Tanice Scott, is alleged to have choked the pregnant woman and also damaged a door and a cell phone. Prosecutors in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court shared that on September 26, Scott went to her babyfather's home and asked the pregnant woman, who is his current partner, about clothes for her (Scott's) four-year-old child. The pregnant woman told Scott to direct the queries to the child's father and soon after, a tussle ensued between the women. Scott, the court heard, grabbed the pregnant woman by her hair and said, "Come yah gal", then proceeded to choke her. She then grabbed a hammer, hitting the pregnant woman in her stomach. It is also alleged that the man's mother intervened and was hit in the thigh with the hammer. The man's younger sister's phone was also damaged in the melee. The child's father, who was not at the home during the incident, alleged that Scott damaged a door.

"What you did was very cruel and irresponsible. You could have been in more trouble than what you are in right now," the senior jurist stressed. Scott pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of malicious destruction of property.

"She continuously makes threat from 2020," the male complainant said, noting that he and Scott are involved in matters in the Corporate Area Family Court. He said that he was not minded to resolve the issue at mediation and preferred to go to trial.

"She is not being forgiven for her immaturity, so let's go to trial. Things are going to get bad after today," Burrell said to the former couple.

Despite initial reluctance, the matters were referred to on spot mediation where Scott agreed to compensate the pregnant woman $9,150. To the male complainant's mother, she paid $15,811. Scott agreed to replace the damaged cell phone, however, she refused to compensate her child's father for the door.

The trial with the child's father, where Scott is charged with malicious destruction of property, is expected to commence on May 21, 2025.