ST JAMES, JAMAICA — A man who is accused of spitting on the mother of his children was ordered to attend counselling sessions when he appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

Clive Hall appeared before presiding parish judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley and was charged with common assault.

According to court documents, the complainant was walking on Cottage Road on July 13 when Hall drove up, stopped beside her, and said something to her. He then parked his car, approached her, pulled the cap she was wearing from her head, and commented that he was the one who bought it.

The complainant crossed the street, and he pursued her, then she felt liquid on her neck.

She asked Hall if he spat on her, to which he replied, “Yes, so what are you going to do?”

“Would you like to sit down with a mediator and discuss the issue?” the judge asked the complainant after hearing the allegations.

“No, Your Honour,” the complainant replied.

“Why is that?” Smith-Ashley asked.

“He constantly stalks me and mentally and physically abuses me… I am sick and tired of him… He verbally abuses me everywhere he sees me… He can tell whenever I leave or come to my house, when I eat or sleep, and what I do in my house,” the complainant said, adding that she had obtained a restraining order against Hall in Family Court, where they also have pending matters.

“Mr Hall, are you guilty for common assault sir?” Smith-Ashley asked the accused.

“I’m not guilty, Your Honour,” Hall replied.

“Did you spit on her?” the judge then asked.

“No, Your Honour,” Hall responded.

Hall then gave the judge his side of the story.

According to him, the complainant has on several occasions locked the three children alone in the house from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm, and she sometimes leave them in the house and go to dance. He added that when he confronted her about it, she became aggressive and attempted to fight him.

“I even had to report her to the police… She assaulted me on more than one occasion… She threw hot porridge in my face, broke my finger, and assaulted me across the street one day,” Hall told the judge.

After hearing from both parties, the judge referred the pair to the probation office for counselling before rescheduling the case for September 15. Hall’s bail was extended.