A Kingston woman who wounded her partner with a broken bottle after she was caught by him with another man in her bed, raised eyebrows when she appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court last week.

Racquel Arbine, a 44-year-old hairdresser was taken before the court on a charge of unlawful wounding after she broke a rum bottle and used it to cut her lover on his wrist during a dispute at her home when she was caught red-handed.

The incident occurred at 5:15 am on June 27 at Arbine’s home on Grant’s Pen Road in Kingston after her 48-year-old beau paid her a surprise visit.

The complainant in his statement said that he was outside Arbine’s home when he overheard her saying: “Me can’t come back to bed, de pickney dem need to guh school.”

The complainant said he got suspicious and called Arbine on her phone and told her to meet him outside to collect something for the children.

However, he said the complainant came outside quickly and was surprised to see him and started to tell him that he could not come inside the house as the children were asleep.

But the complainant said that he barged inside the house as she was about to close the door and saw a man lying inside her bed.

A quarrel then started between the two when Arbine got a rum bottle, broke it and used it to cut the complainant on his hand.

The complainant said that the man then used a ratchet knife to hit him and pushed him in his stomach. He said that he became fearful for his life, ran, and later reported the matter to the police.

On Tuesday when the matter was raised, the woman told the court that she was guilty of cutting the complainant but that she was acting in self-defence.

“Him call me and me get de man way did deh deh fi go way and as me open de door him barge in and push me down and start punch me all over me body,” she said.

But the complainant denied her reports saying: “That is unacceptable.”

However, he told the court that he did not wish to pursue the matter any further.

“I don’t want to go any further with the case, I don’t wish to waste the court’s time and my company needs me,” he said.

But RM Fraser told him that she did not care about his company but would accede to his wish.

However, before he left she gave him a good warning which caused bouts of laughter in the court.

“Sir, next time you need to make an appointment and keep the date,” she quipped.

Arbine was subsequently freed of the charge.

‘Cut eye’ results in bloody fight

A woman was dragged before the court for reportedly stabbing her neighbour multiple times over her body during a dispute over an accusation of ‘cut eye’.

The accused, Samantha Dunbar, a marketing and sales agent of Coburn Gardens in Kingston, reportedly used a knife to inflict wounds to the complainant’s face, chest, finger and left thigh.

The fight reportedly developed at the house where both the accused and the complainant reside, after the complainant asked Dunbar if she had ‘cut’ her eyes at her.

On Thursday when the matter was mentioned Dunbar’s lawyer Annakay Osbourne, during her bail application, told the court that her client acted out of self defence.

She told the court that it was the accused who approached the complainant with a machete and punched her in her face.

“I have not heard anything in your application to prove self defence and I am glad you mention that because I am still trying to puzzle that one out,” RM Fraser said.

But Osbourne insisted that her client was acting in self defence.

“The complainant attacked my client with the machete, grabbed her by her hair, a tussle started and they both fell and it was while she was receiving blows to her head and face that the complainant got injured,” she related.

“So how she come by the knife,” asked RM Fraser.

Osbourne in reply said that her client found the knife on the ground.

“We are not disputing that some form of stabbing occurred but she was only defending herself,” the lawyer said.

Osbourne was subsequently offered $500,000 bail on condition that she resides with her sister in Portmore, St Catherine, report at the Portmore Police Station on Thursdays and Saturdays and surrender her travel documents with a stop order in place at all ports.

She is to return to court on November 18.

Man to pay for biting woman

A man who bit his “babymother” on her arm was told to bring $15,000 to compensate the woman after the magistrate increased the money by $3,000, and warned him that the money would go up each time that he comes to court without the payment.

The man, Kirkland Gowe, was told that the $3,000 was for the complainant’s bus fare even though the complainant was absent.

Gowe was ordered to pay the money to compensate the complainant after he pleaded guilty on Thursday to assault occasioning bodily harm and told the court that he would bring the money on Friday.

But on Friday he appeared in court empty-handed.

“Me did fi get some money from foreign but me nuh get through,” Gowe informed the magistrate.

She then asked him why he had informed the court that he could bring it on Friday when he knew that he was not going to have money.

RM Fraser also enquired about the whereabouts of the complainant and was told by Gowe that told her to stay home as he did not have the money to give her.

“Because you don’t want her to come and waste her bus fare and have to pay for it, but even though you tell her not come you’re still going to pay for her bus fare,” RM Fraser told Gowe.

“And each time you cause her to come here and don’t have the money, the money is going to raise,” she added.

The magistrate then extended Gowe’s bail and warned him not to come to court on Monday without the money.

Gowe was also warned on Thursday to stay away from the complainant’s house after the woman told the court that she wants Gowe to stop visiting.

“Don’t make any visit to her home, she don’t welcome your visits any longer, leave her home,” RM Fraser ordered.

Man steals from woman during devotion

A deportee who was beaten by a mob and handed over to the police after he was reportedly caught stealing money from a woman’s handbag while she was engaged in devotion, insisted that he was innocent and asked for his trial.

The complainant, who operates a hairdressing salon on West Street in downtown Kingston, was reportedly having devotion with another person outside her shop on August 7, when the accused, Kamal Wright, went inside and took $3,000 and her cellular phone from her bag.

Wright, 34, was reportedly caught in the act by the complainant when she went to check on her shop. She then raised an alarm and people went to her rescue and beat the accused before he was handed over to the police.

According to the police, Wright admitted that he went into the woman’s handbag when he was at the police station.

But on Friday when Wright appeared in court, he pleaded not guilty to simple larceny and insisted that he was innocent.

“So what you doing in the lady shop? You doing your hair,” RM Fraser asked Wright, who chose not to answer.

“Manicure, pedicure?” she further asked.

“No maam,” he said.

“So what bring you to the shop?” Fraser again questioned.

Wright, who appeared flustered, then said: “I need legal representation and a probation officer.”

The magistrate however explained to him that while he may need a lawyer to defend him he does not need a probation officer.

“I don’t understand what you asking for, after trial if you are convicted depending on the sentence a probation may be asked to intervene, but at this time there is no basis for a probation officer,” RM Fraser said.

The prosecutor then asked Wright if he was not mobbed and beaten but Wright remained silent.

The magistrate then asked Wright how long he needed to get a lawyer and he said “in the next couple weeks.”

“Sort out you legal representation as the file is ready, so it’s just you that is holding up the case now,” RM Fraser then told Wright before he was remanded.

The trial date was then scheduled for September 2.

Painter arrested for stealing expensive laptop

A female professional painter was also dragged before the court for reportedly stealing a laptop valued at $209,000.

The laptop, which comes with special specifications, was imported by the complainant but ended up in the possession of the accused.

The 38-year-old accused, Carlene Tulloch of Havendale in Kingston 19, was reportedly found with the laptop during a sting operation.

On Friday when the matter was mentioned, her lawyer, Michael Jordon, told the court that his client was not guilty, but refrained from saying how the laptop had got into his client’s possession.

Tullock was however offered bail in the sum of $100,000 on conditions that she reports to the Constant Spring Police Station on Thursdays, and surrender her travel documents with a stop order in place at all ports.

The matter was then set for mention on September 25.