MONTEGO BAY, St James – Embattled Councillor David Brown on Monday moved to hire a lawyer to represent him in an assault case brought against him by a woman with whom he was in a relationship at the time.

Brown represents the Montego Bay West Division in the St James Municipal Corporation. He was elected on a Jamaica Labour Party ticket.

During a court appearance in July, the complainant’s attorney Martyn Thomas asked for the matter to be referred to restorative justice so that the parties could work out their differences. However, the court was told on Monday that they had failed to resolve their issues.

The complainant was not present in court on Monday. Her attorney-at-law, who monitors proceedings on her behalf, stated that she couldn’t be there because she was dealing with some delicate issues.

Brown, who has up to now not had legal representation for the case, on Monday approached attorney-at-law Henry McCurdy with the intention of hiring him. But it was not clear whether the attorney has agreed to represent him.

Brown’s bail was subsequently extended until October 3 to give attorneys on both sides time to have discussions regarding the case.

According to court documents, on May 28, the female complainant, with whom Brown had a relationship, was sitting in her car when he knocked on the vehicle’s window.

The two reportedly got into a dispute during which Brown allegedly hit the complainant in her face, causing pain and swelling.

This is not the first time that Brown has had legal challenges.

In August 2018 he allegedly used his licensed firearm to hit a 65-year-old man. Brown was held in police custody for five days before being released. That followed harsh criticism in March after he allegedly verbally abused a woman on social media.