A 40-year-old maintenance worker who kicked his wife in the chest after she removed his belongings from their bedroom, has been ordered to stay away from her.
Douglas Frederick Burke of No. 4 Goodland Gardens, St Michael pleaded guilty before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant to assaulting his wife of six years, Sheena Burke, on August 3, occasioning her actual bodily harm.
Sergeant Edwin Pinder told the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court that the couple’s marriage had been a “hostile” one, with many a report being made by Sheena to the police.
The court heard that on the day in question Burke arrived home to find his clothes in garbage bags in the kitchen, while his wife was outside speaking with friends. He went outside and ordered her to place his stuff back in their bedroom, but she called the police instead.
After she ended the call he kicked her in the chest, causing her to fall, and proceeded to cuff her in the head. Friends and family eventually separated them and Sheena sought refuge at her sister’s house.
Burke’s lawyer Mohia Ma’at urged the court to show his client some leniency as he was not known to the court and was sorry for his actions.
“He admits that he did kick his wife in the chest and is sorry. Sometimes emotions run far, deep and wide. The situation when he came home was [exacerbated] by the fact that when he became aware of the position of his belongings he heard giggles . . . [this] belittled the man. But he knows he has a bed waiting for him back at the family home in St Philip,” Ma’at told Cuffy-Sargeant.
Meantime, Sheena told the magistrate: “I would like Douglas to leave please . . . and compensation me for the kick in my chest.”
After informing the court she had paid $70 at the doctor, she requested a further $100 for her troubles.
The magistrate ordered that Burke pay $270 by August 21 or spend two months in prison.
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