KINGSTON, Jamaica — Patrina Campbell, a mother who spat on a woman who took in her daughter after she left home at age 18, has pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and assault at common law.

The plea was entered before Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

The charges stem from a July 2, 2024 incident at Papine Square, St Andrew, where Campbell confronted the complainant in front of a supermarket.

According to court documents, Campbell threatened the woman, stating that she was going to hit her. She then reportedly spat in the complainant’s face and pulled out four of the woman’s braids.

In court, Campbell explained that her daughter had recently turned 18 and left home following a misunderstanding. She told Judge Burrell that since moving into the complainant’s home, her daughter had not been in contact with any members of her family.

The case was referred to mediation, where both parties later reached an agreement. Campbell agreed to pay the complainant $60,000 in damages.

Her bail was extended, and she is expected to make the first payment when she returns to court for case management on November 18, 2024.

During the proceedings, the complainant also expressed that she feared for her life in her community because of accusations that her husband had raped the complainant’s daughter, to which community members have since ostracised them for.

“Do you know of a complaint that her husband raped your daughter?” Judge Burrell directed at the accused.

Campbell denied any knowledge of such allegations.

“Then you need to tell the community to cut it out,” Judge Burrell advised.“I don’t care if you said it, or somebody said it. You are telling me that nothing nuh go so, so I am urging you to tell the people in the community that ‘I don’t know where you got that from but that is not true.”

— Kelsey Thomas