MONTEGO BAY, St James — The St James Parish Court has offered no evidence against O’Neil James, who was charged with assaulting his wife and daughter in public. The ruling was made after the defendant provided compensation during court proceedings.

James had been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and unlawful wounding.

He complied with the terms of the agreement reached during a mediation process by handing over a total of $25,000 to his spouse during last Wednesday’s court session.

As a result of the mediation agreement, the prosecution offered no evidence against James.

According to court documents, in January this year James crossed paths with his wife and daughter on St James Street in Montego Bay where he proceeded to verbally abuse his daughter, accusing her of siding with her mother with whom he had a disagreement. Subsequently, the mother intervened, sparking a heated argument between her and James, which escalated.

The allegations are that the complainants were in the process of getting into a taxi when James attempted to hit his daughter. The mother intervened, James punched her in the face and she retaliated.

The court document said that, in a bid to protect her mother, the daughter intervened and James grabbed her neck. On seeing the commotion, onlookers stepped in to quell the disturbance.

The matter was reported to the police and James was arrested and charged.