Two Jamaicans who have been living here illegally were handed over to immigration officials this afternoon after admitting to assaulting a female compatriot.
Twenty-four-year-old Shelly-Ann Shareace Welcome, who resides at Bonnetts, Brittons Hill, St Michael pleaded guilty to the charge that she assaulted Lenica Townsend on April 8, 2019 occasioning her actual bodily harm while her co-accused 25-year-old Olivia Thompson of the same address pleaded not guilty.
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Shelly-Ann Shareace Welcome and Olivia Thompson[/caption]
In relaying the facts Station Sergeant Carrison Henry said Townsend was at bus stop in front of Government Headquarters when Welcome, with whom she had an altercation earlier that same day, approached her. A confrontation ensued and Welcome hit Townsend across the nose with a Bluetooth speaker belonging to the complainant before fleeing in the direction of Bush Hill, St Michael. The matter was reported to police and Welcome was subsequently seen on Bay Street and arrested.
“She is the one lic me first. She wasn’t at the bus stop. Me and she (pointing to Thompson) walk from the stoplight in Bay Street and . . . she cross de road. My foot sick and me choose to sit and she choose to sit at the bus stop and plug in the boom box,” Welcome explained.
She went on: “De gal say ‘B-clat gal when you dey see me, don’t see me’ and I tell she me don’t know what she talking bout. She pick up de boom box and lic me and me tek it an hit she back.”
Frederick then asked what was the genesis of the problem between the two.
“Me nah know. Me and her never have anything before,” Welcome stated.
An immigration officer who was in court with two other colleagues informed the magistrate that Welcome arrived in the island on September 24, 2018 and was granted six months as a visitor in care of a gentleman with a St George address. Her status expired in March and she has not regularised it.
Welcome responded by saying that she had plans to leave Barbados this coming Monday and was going to buy the ticket online today.
Magistrate Fredrick convicted, reprimanded and discharged her and handed her over to the Immigration Department for their consideration.
Thompson who denied the charge, was told that she would be remanded to HMP Dodds as she had no ties to Barbados and
no status, after the immigration officer told the court that she had been residing here illegally since 2017. Prosecutor Henry also objected to bail.
“Sir send me home. Which part de girl dere? Me nah want spend no time inna custody, send me home,” the woman said just after 12 p.m. before Magistrate Douglas Frederick informed her that the system did not work in such a manner.
Thompson was later escorted out on the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court in preparation to be transported to the Dodds. However she returned a little over two hours later and changed her plea to guilty.
“Sir me wan go home,” Thompson who was also convicted, reprimanded and discharged said before being handed over to immigration officers.
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