MONTEGO BAY, St James — A man found guilty of physically assaulting his girlfriend was given a suspended sentence during his appearance in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

The defendant and resident of the parish, Rohan Scott, was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.

When asked by presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton if he wanted to make a statement before she rendered a verdict, the defendant expressed remorse for his actions, admitted to wrongdoing, and attributed it to an error in judgment.

“Your Honour, I’m sorry for everything; I’ve made a mistake,” Scott said.

“I’ve been in jail for three weeks, and it has taught me a lot. I’ll never disappoint you… If you give me a chance, I will never come before this court again,” Scott then assured the judge.

Fairclough-Hylton informed the defendant that his social enquiry report was fairly positive, but emphasised the possibility of a maximum three-year prison sentence. Nevertheless, she considered the mitigating factors of his timely admission of guilt and the circumstances that led to his appearance in court.

The judge subsequently imposed an 18-month prison term on him, but suspended the sentence for a period of two years.

“Sir, if you commit any offence in the next two years, you will be going to prison for 18 months. You won’t go to prison right now, but the ball is in your court. You must decide whether or not you are going to spend 18 months in prison. If you stay out of trouble for the next two years, you will be good,” the judge said as she explained the suspended sentence before allowing him to leave the courtroom.

The incident occurred on July 15 when Scott arrived at the complainant’s home and asked her to purchase lunch for him. They went to a store to get change, and Scott then invited her to his bedroom, where he allegedly assaulted her.

Initially misinterpreted as playful behaviour, the assault continued despite the woman’s requests for Scott to stop, causing significant pain to her hands and a burning sensation on her neck. Scott also allegedly threatened her saying, “A kill mi a go kill yuh; yuh feel a so all a my money a guh?”

During a prior court appearance, Scott declared that he had ended his relationship with the complainant and embarked on a new phase in his life.

He claimed that the break-up occurred on the day of the incident; however, the court clerk refuted this claim by stating that the separation occurred prior to the incident.

Scott also stated that he was angry at the time of the incident and that, despite their eight-year relationship, the complainant had been involved with another man and had only disclosed this to him a mere two to three nights prior to the incident. Additionally, Scott claimed that the complainant was telling others that they were not a couple without informing him.

Scott also claimed that he had informed the complainant of his observations, enquired about them, and urged her to be open, but she persisted in denial, infuriating him.

The complainant, on the other hand, admitted to starting a new relationship two weeks before the incident, without disclosing to Scott that their relationship had come to an end.