KINGSTON, Jamaica — A man was on Tuesday given two years’ probation for assaulting his child’s mother during an argument.

The man, Davian Campbell, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

Reports are that on May 10,  the accused and the complainant were engaged in a dispute regarding a child they both parent. The dispute turned physical, during which the complainant claimed Campbell threw her Samsung A21 android phone to the ground and broke the screen.

However, appearing before Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell, Campbell pleaded not guilty to the charge of malicious destruction of property. He told the court that the complainant did not have a phone in her hand at the time of the assault.

When Judge Burrell asked the complainant if she generally had issues with the accused, she said “Just his behaviour. Him like to lick…and him like to fling and when I decide to leave is a problem same way.”

While the accused was open to mediation, the complainant shared that they have done mediation several times before.

“Is there any hope of you and the lady living in peace for the next 15 years?” Burrell questioned Campbell before handing down the judgement.

In addition to the two-year probation, Campbell was ordered to pay $30,000 for the damaged phone screen and medical expenses incurred by the complainant.

— Kelsey Thomas