UNFORGETTABLE drama which involved a jealous, obsessed ex-lover and an alleged fight between homosexuals highlighted last week’s proceedings in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court.

In the case of the obsessed lover, the accused, David Campbell, who was charged with burglary, appeared before Senior Magistrate Judith Pusey and proudly declared that he was obsessed with his ex-lover and needed help to get over his obsession.

Campbell, the court heard, went to his ex-lover’s home at 4:45 am, forced off a metal mesh that was behind her window, and entered her room. The complainant, who was asleep, woke up to find him in her house and summoned the police, the court heard further.

However, the court was told that when the police came, Campbell hid under the bed and the police took fingerprints and left the house with him still under the bed.

At that point when the allegations were being read, Campbell interjected and said, “Me did a sleep”, sparking laughter from the court.

The prosecutor then told the court that a new batch of officers returned to the house and found Campbell hiding under the complainant’s bed.

After the allegations were read out in court, Campbell remarked: “A obsessed wid har. I am not ashamed to say it, but I was also under the influence.”

“So love pull you through the window and land you on a burglary charge,” Pusey commented, amid laughter.

“So Mr Romeo what I must do with you?” Pusey asked Campbell.

“Your Honour, I would like some leniency and some counselling for my obsession,” Campbell answered.

But Campbell’s request for counselling was not well received by the magistrate who rebuked him for his audacity.

“Cut the drama!” Pusey said “You not getting any help. Stop it! She say she finish and if you go back in there you going to prison.”

The magistrate then asked the prosecutor to change the charge from burglary and have Campbell plead to criminal trespassing to which he pleaded guilty.

He was then given a nine-month sentence, suspended for three years.

“That means if you go anywhere near the complainant in the next three years, you going to do nine months in prison, so you better get over your obsession,” Pusey advised Campbell.

The drama and laughter in the court further intensified when three alleged homosexuals appeared in court with two of them charged with assaulting the other.

Edgerton Harris, 23, a janitor of a St Catherine address, was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm while Oje Wood, 20, a student of a Kingston address, was charged with unlawful wounding.

According to a police report, on May 14 about 3:45 pm the complainant went to premises at Widcome Drive in St Andrew to collect his car which he had left with the landlord after he relocated. However, when he went to retrieve his car, he saw that some items of clothing were in the car and was told that it belonged to Wood.

The complainant reportedly went to Wood who was on the premises and asked him to remove his clothing. The court heard that an argument developed between the two and Wood used a knife to cut the complainant on his foot.

It is further reported that Harris, who was outside the premises, intervened in the attack and threw a stone over the fence which hit the complainant on his hand causing it to break. Harris reportedly jumped over the fence and assaulted the complainant.

But Harris in his defence told the court that the complainant came to the premises in a violent manner and started cursing in a loud manner and was choking and slapping Wood in the face and he intervened.

According to Harris, the complainant was upset with Wood because he is involved with his ex-lover.

“My lady, is a quiet neighbourhood, a residential area, and he come and argue and a cuss on top of his voice and say to me ‘dutty bwoy’ and bout me a sketel so I say, ‘alright weh you know bout me,” Harris related as laughter rang out inside the court.

Harris said that the complainant then confronted Wood and started to assault him.

“Me see him a box Oje, whole heap a box and him couldn’t tek the box no more cause him jaw a hurt him so mi jump de fence fi part dem,” Harris said in drama-like fashion.

“Is two couple in a friction, so me a say is no way him shud a com and tek it out on Oje,” he added.

“So eventually me tek up a stone and him tek up a stone, him grab a stick and me grab a branch, him fling one a de stone and lick me on mi toe, all now it still have the bruise, and me fling back stone afta him,” Harris said as the laughter continued.

Harris told the court that the complainant is a famous gay in the homosexual world and that he told him that he had high connection in the country.

“Him have police link, doctor link and say him know every gay police with stripe,” Harris added.

Wood, who was well-spoken and has a foreign accent, said that the complainant punched after him and then wrapped his hand around his neck and started to choke him.

Wood said that Harris came to his rescue and tried to pull the complainant off him and they started to fight while he was catching his breath.

But Dennis denied the accused’s account of the incident.

The complainant told the court that he went to the house peacefully to get his car.

“Your Honour, look at my size. If I went there to fight them, they would have some injury and they don’t even have a scratch,” the complainant said.

“I am a popular human rights activist and I did not go there to fight,” he insisted.

The complainant then asked the magistrate to warn Harris to stop posting unflattering comments on his Facebook page as it was damaging his reputation and threatening his work as he had to interface with all types of people.

In the end, the magistrate scheduled the matter for July 22 and ordered that the accused be fingerprinted.

But Harris begged the magistrate not to have his prints taken.

“Your Honour please,” Harris said clasping his hands underneath his chin.

“Why?” Pusey asked.

“Cause I travel,” Harris replied.

“Well I travel too,” Pusey said before denying the request.

In another case, a man who found it difficult to cope with the fact that his ex-lover had moved on with another man was hauled before the court for punching her in the mouth.

The court heard that the complainant and the accused, Maurado Smith, were in a relationship when she decided to end the relationship. However, Smith went to the complainant’s house shortly after she told him that she wanted out of the relationship and assaulted her.

Smith walked up to the complainant’s door, the court heard, called her out of the house and when she appeared said to her, “me hear say you have a man” and punched her in the mouth, bursting her lip.

“So why you think you have the right to punch her in her mouth,” Pusey asked.

“Your Honour, she stab off a me wid a knife and run,” he answered.

“And you run her down and punched her,” Pusey said.

“Yes” he answered without any trace of remorse.

Smith, who had pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, was then ordered to pay $10,000 or serve six months in prison.

A mentally challenged man who reportedly hammered a woman to death after claiming that she was working obeah on him, also appeared before the court.

The 20-year-old resident of Rose Mount in Temple Hall, St Andrew, Shannoy Duncan, is also accused of knocking out a man with the same hammer.

The accused is facing a murder charge for the gruesome death of Violet Marsh, 53, of the same address on May 4. He is also charged with unlawful wounding.

In the other case, the court heard that the complainant was at the now deceased’s house and left to tend to business at his house. But it is reported that while he was home, he felt a blow to the back of his neck and fell into a state of unconsciousness. The complainant later awoke to find himself being transported to hospital.

Following the incident, Duncan was taken into custody and charged and when he was cautioned, he reportedly told the police: “De lady wuk obeah on mi, she tek mi shirt and next ting you know some bump come out on mi skin and me use Bunny’s ointment and put it on me and me hear say she wrap up mi shirt in wanga.”

But Duncan’s father told the court that his son had a mental problem and that he has visited several different police stations seeking help for him.

Duncan was in the end remanded for psychiatric treatment and is scheduled to return to court on July 1.

Also in the court, a 52-year-old woman who was caught red-handed with two slices of cheese valued at $67 had to fork out $5,000 to avoid a six-month prison sentence.

Pearline Watt was caught at Hi-Lo Supermarket with the items in her pocket.

But the woman, despite pleading guilty to simple larceny, told the court that she did not steal the items, but had simply forgotten that she had put them in her pocket.

“Your Honour, I went into the supermarket to buy the cheese and a piece of meat, so I took up the two slices of cheese but when me walk around to where they have the meat I put the cheese in me pocket so I could look at the meat,” said the woman.

“When I reach to the cashier I never remember that I have the cheese in my pocket,” she said.

But Pusey was a long way from being convinced and told her that the average shoplifter often claims to have forgotten.

“Most people who get caught always say them forget and that’s why the supermarket give you trolleys and bins,” Pusey said before Watt was fined.