INDIVIDUALS inside the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court were left in shock last week after a Kingston barber faced the court for reportedly assaulting his two-month-old infant and for fighting his child’s mother who recently did a Caesarian section.

The accused man, Kandra McKenzie, of Chester Avenue, reportedly grabbed the baby’s arm and later attacked the mother when she went to the baby’s rescue.

Allegations are that McKenzie bit the woman on her arm and also sat on her stomach despite knowing that the wound that she had suffered from the C-section had not properly healed.

McKenzie denied hitting the baby.

“I did not touch the child,” he insisted when he appeared before Resident Magistrate (RM) Georgianna Fraser in court on Thursday. The case was set for trial on September 22.

McKenzie’s bail was subsequently extended on charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and cruelty to a child.

According to police reports, on July 27 the complainant was at her home at York Avenue in Kingston preparing a bath for her child when McKenzie visited. Reports are that he grabbed the baby by her right arm and was told by the complainant to put the infant down.

McKenzie then reportedly proceeded to shove the complainant in her chest and she retaliated by also shoving him.

It was also reported that McKenzie then pushed the complainant down on a bed, sat on her stomach and said to her “Memba yuh nuh heal good yet,” and then bit her on her right

upper arm.

Neighbours reportedly heard the complainant’s cries for help and went to her rescue and she later reported the matter to the police.

Fake lawyer to go on trial

A woman who reportedly pretended to be a British lawyer and collected $1.8 million from a man to purchase a piece of land in Green Acres, St Catherine, was dragged before the court on a charge of fraudulent conversion.

The accused is Nadine Ramsay, 45-year-old legal assistant, of Serpent Circle, in Kingston 19. According to the police report, Ramsay approached the owner of the land and expressed an interest in representing him in the land transaction and told him that she would also represent the person who would be purchasing the property.

It was also reported that Ramsay, who was sporting a thick British accent when she spoke to the complainants, told them that she had lived in England at White Hart Lane in Tottenham, North London, for 20 years and had studied and passed the Bar there.

The complainant, who wanted to purchase the property, then paid over $1,810,000 to Ramsay in June for her to pay the landowner, but to date the money has not been paid over by Ramsay, who has also failed to return it to the purchaser.

As a result, the matter was reported to the police fraud squad and she was arrested and charged but was released on station bail.

However, on Friday when she appeared in court, she denied the allegations and the matter was set for trial on September 9.

Before her bail was extended, RM Fraser imposed conditions that included surrendering her travel documents and report on Mondays and Fridays at the Fraud Squad. She was also given a curfew order for her not be seen on the road before 6:00 am and after

8:00 pm.

Alleged robber claims woman slammed into him and dropped her phone

A man who is accused of slapping a woman in her face and stealing her BlackBerry cellular phone told the court that it was the woman who bounced into him and caused her phone to fall and he picked it up.

The 20-year-old accused, Oshane McLaughlin, told RM Fraser on Thursday that he wanted the matter to be tried even though he was held with the phone in his possession.

“I didn’t steal the phone,” he said.

“So how it get inna yuh possession?” RM Fraser asked.

“An accident,” he answered.

He then sought to explain: “I was crossing the road and she was crossing the road and she bounce into me and the phone drop and when me tek it up she run and bawl out thief.”

“You see someone running and bawling out thief and you go pick up dem phone. Seriously, Mr McLaughlin,” the magistrate said.

“I picked it up to give her,” the accused responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

“So you never slap her and take the phone?” RM Fraser further enquired.

“No, Your Honour,” McLaughlin answered.

The matter was then set for trial on August 18 and McLaughlin was remanded on a charge of robbery with aggravation.

Man to pay $360,000 for plastic surgery

A man who got angry and cut a conductor in his face after he told a female passenger to change her seat was told that he will have to pay the man $360,000 to do plastic surgery or he will not be released from custody.

Denton Davis, a 23-year-old mason, of Spanish Town Road in Kingston, cut the driver in his face after he reportedly begged the conductor to give the woman a free ride on the Coaster bus.

The court heard that Davis took the woman on the bus and asked the conductor to give her a free ride, and left her on the bus.

It was reported that the woman then sat in the middle of the bus and was obstructing the conductor when he asked her to move to another seat. However, the woman who was reportedly not pleased, hissed her teeth and exited the bus.

She reportedly went and spoke to Davis, who returned and cut the complainant in his face.

The incident occurred on July 14 at a bus stop in Three Miles, St Andrew, while the conductor was collecting bus fares.

According to the complainant, he got about 19 stitches in his face and spent almost half-a-day in the Kingston Public Hospital

However, on Thursday when the matter was mentioned, Davis admitted that he cut the complainant but claimed that it was by accident and almost convinced the magistrate before she heard the complainant’s account of the incident.

“Is two youth rush me and run inna de bus and when me swing de knife it mussi ketch him by accident,” Davis said to the magistrate.

“So he was an innocent bystander?” RM Fraser asked.

“Yes ma’am,” he answered.

But the prosecutor interjected and told the magistrate that the incident arose after Davis had forced the conductor to give the woman a free ride and that he had run away to another parish after the incident.

“So it not even the story that he is telling,” the magistrate remarked.

She then asked the complainant if he would be seeking compensation for his medical bill and to do plastic surgery and he said yes.

“I want you to go and get the invoice for the plastic surgery; he is going to pay for it,” RM Fraser told the complainant.

Davis was then remanded and the complainant was instructed to return the following day with the invoice.

On Friday when the matter was mentioned the complainant told the court that the cost for the surgery was $360,000 and Davis’ sister agreed to cover the cost.

She was, however, informed that her brother would not be released on bail until the money was paid in full.

The sister then asked the magistrate if she could pay monthly but her request was quickly denied.

“This is not Courts Jamaica Limited, this is not hire purchase,” RM Fraser informed her sternly.

Davis was then remanded and August 20 was scheduled for him to return to court and to make the first payment to the complainant.

Court watchmen caught stealing parts from car exhibit

The day watchman at the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court hung his head in shame when he and another man appeared in court on charges of attempted larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny after they reportedly conspired to steal parts from a car on the court’s compound.

Orane Rhone, the watchman, and Randy Campbell, an unemployed man, were busted by Constable Richard Gordon, of the Portmore Police Station, who was passing the courtyard in Half-Way-Tree, and reportedly observed Campbell going under the vehicle with a tool pan on the evening of July 28, 2012.

The vehicle, a 1996 Honda Integra, was parked on the court premises as it was an exhibit in a case of theft. The vehicle had been stolen previously and recovered and the reported culprits were on trial.

In a statement that forms part of the case file against the two men, Gordon said that he went onto the court property and confronted Campbell, who told him that his friend sent him under the vehicle to remove a bolt from the car.

Campbell was asked by the cop to call his friend who gave him the instruction and Campbell summoned Rhone.

Rhone was asked by Gordon if he knew the owner of the vehicle and he said no.

Both men were taken to the Half-Way-Tree Police Station next door where Rhone reportedly admitted to sending Campbell to pull the bolt from the Honda so he could put it on his (Rhone’s) own car.

Rhone reportedly begged for a chance but both men were subsequently charged.

On Friday when they appeared in court, a trial date was scheduled for October 24 and their bails were extended.