ST JAMES, Jamaica – A man was given a slap on the wrist in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday, after being charged with various offences stemming from an incident with his girlfriend which resulted in the police visiting the couple’s home and the defendant biting one of the officers.

Jerome Graham, who was represented by attorney-at-law Suwayne Phillips, was charged with unlawful wounding, malicious destruction of property, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

According to court documents, on April 12, an altercation ensued between the complainant and the accused at their residence in Barrett Town.

Graham reportedly removed the electrical cord at the back of the refrigerator, cut up the complaint’s slippers as well as her daughter’s slippers and smashed the complainant’s bottle of JB rum.

The complainant went to the Barrett Town police station to file a report, and the accused was later captured and handcuffed by the officers. He was placed in the rear of the service vehicle after, reportedly, many minutes of rowdy behaviour and resisting cops, where he pushed himself up and caused damage to the roof of the service vehicle.

While the sergeant was trying to restrain him, he bit him, causing a wound, the police said.

During Wednesday’s court hearing, the clerk of the court informed the court that the officer and the accused man were open to mediation. The case was briefly adjourned to allow the parties to sit with a mediator who was present in the courtroom.

When the case was revisited, the court was told that Graham had apologised to the officer and that the matter had been settled peacefully.

Based on the mediation agreement, no further evidence was offered against Graham in relation to the unlawful wounding charge.

In respect of the remaining charges, he was admonished and discharged.

“Mr Graham, because you have shown remorse in the other matters, and bear in mind that you have been in custody for some two months, the sentence of the court on all these three remaining matters is that you are admonished and discharged…Please behave yourself,” presiding judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley said to Graham before allowing him to leave the courtroom.