THERE was heightened drama in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court last week after a man who had just paid over $190,000 struck the man who had gone there to collect it, just as they were exiting the courtroom.
Aston Bailey, who slapped the man on the back of his neck while saying "A unuh mek people kill unuh," attempted to escape by running away. He was taken into custody and charged with assault.
Interestingly, Bailey was the defendant in a case against Andrew Rose whose goods he destroyed during a dispute over $1.3 million owed to him for scrap metal. The man who was struck was Rose's secretary.
Last Tuesday when the matter was mentioned, Bailey, who had previously agreed to repay Rose's money, told Senior Magistrate Judith Pusey that he had paid "something like a million" when she asked him how much of the money he had already paid.
But Rose said that he was told by his secretary that Bailey had only paid $400,000 and this was confirmed in court by the secretary.
Bailey then got upset, stating that he had paid over more than that and had the receipts to show that the secretary had signed for the money.
But the magistrate told him that he had to pay the amount stated by the accused.
"I am not paying that, Ms Pusey," he said.
"Who do you think you are talking to?" Pusey remarked. "I don't like when people ginnal me. I ask you how much you pay the man and you ago tell me something like a million, what figure is that?
"You have to come to court prepared and you have disrespected the court. You are going to pay him what he says," she added.
The matter was then set for Friday and when it was mentioned, Bailey's attorney, Laury Smikle, told the court that her client had the receipts to show that the secretary had collected more than $400,000.
But this was challenged by the secretary who told the court that he had signed for the first payment of $500,000 but Bailey, after checking the money, realised that he had overpaid him and took back the money and gave him $400,000 as that was what they had agreed on for the first payment. The receipt for the $500,000 was never cancelled, he said.
Bailey, however, denied his explanation. "How me fi over pay a man that me owe $1.3 million?" he asked.
The magistrate then stood down the matter for them to work out the issue with the help of an officer. When the matter was called up, Pusey told Bailey that he should pay half of the $500,000 along with the remaining of $300,697, and he did. Following that, the charges against both Bailey and Rose were withdrawn.
Religious dispute causes biting There was also laughter in the court last week when a Rastafarian and another man appeared before the court for biting each other over a disagreement while discussing religion.
Kaydon Richards, and the Rastafarian, Omar Gray, both appeared in court on a charge of unlawful wounding.
When the magistrate asked the men what was the cause of the dispute, Richards said: "Him come to me with some unnecessary argument." He said the argument escalated into a fight during which Gray bit him.
But Gray quickly interjected: "A him bite me first and me bite him back," sparking laughter in the court. "How long oonu plan to continue this carnivorous affair?" Pusey then asked amidst laughter.
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