SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine – Senior St Catherine Resident Magistrate Lorna Errar-Gayle on Tuesday made clear her disgust for men who abuse their women and children as she handed down judgments on several of those cases.

“Unu beat up the woman dem and then unu come and expect sympathy,” the judge, presiding over the Spanish Town RM Court, told a number of men appearing before her.

There were more than 15 cases of assault, unlawful wounding and assault occasioning bodily harm – involving men as the offenders and women, the victims – and a single case of child abuse, which were heard by the RM.

Dalton Baxter, a mason of Hellshire Drive in Portmore, was among the accused men who felt Errar-Gayle’s wrath after she found him guilty of child abuse, and of assaulting his common-law wife, Ann Marie Smith, 37.

Constable Sean Albert told the court that on December 24, 2006, the couple had a dispute which ended in a fight. Baxter learned that Smith had reported the matter to the police and put her out of the house. However, he kept their three small children – ages seven, four and three.

On December 30, a neighbour told Smith that Baxter had locked the children in the house for three days while he went about his business. The next day, at about 12:30 am, the police went to the house where they discovered the children sleeping on the floor. They woke the seven-year-old, who opened the door for them.

Baxter returned home at 7:30 am and was arrested and charged. He told Errar-Gayle Tuesday that he had asked a neighbour to “give an eye” on the children. The RM was, however, livid when she heard the police testimony. Referring to the number of children reported killed in fires last year because they were left alone at home, Errar-Gayle blamed parental negligence.

The RM subsequently sentenced Baxter, 38, to three months imprisonment at hard labour on the child abuse charge and fined him $10,000 for the assault on his wife. If the fine is not paid, he will serve an additional six months behind bars.

Another case of assault involved two senior citizens from Portmore – Eulalee Ellis, 61, and her common-law husband of 37 years Alvin Graham, also 61. They had a dispute on January 1. During the incident, Graham – a racehorse groom – used a machete to cut Ellis on her left hand and was later arrested for wounding.

In court Tuesday, the elderly man pleaded guilty, while Ellis’ plea for mercy on his behalf fell on deaf ears. Errar-Gayle slapped him with a $100,000 fine, which, if not paid, will see him spending the next six months in prison.

The other 14 cases of assault on women were either postponed or the male aggressors ordered to pay the victims’ medical expenses and compensation for days lost from work. They were also given a stern warning not to return to the court for similar offences.

“Leave the women alone!” Errar-Gayle cautioned.

– whytet@jamaicaobserver.com