A man who cuffed his pregnant girlfriend has been placed on a bond to keep the peace for six months. Failing to do so, Tonio Thelston Garnes will spend three months in prison.
Magistrate Douglas Frederick sentenced the Blades Hill No. 2, St Philip resident today when he reappeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates Court.
Garnes entered a guilty plea on Thursday after previously denying the charge of assaulting his girlfriend Nikita Jones on June 11 this year and causing her actual bodily harm.
According to the evidence, the two had an argument when the complainant was 33 weeks pregnant. She was injured in her right eye.
Garnes told the court that he hit her after she hit him with a wooden ruler; he then cuffed her in the face. He also informed the court that the woman planned to ask that the matter be discontinued.
When she spoke to the court today, she confirmed that she no longer wanted the case to proceed. Magistrate Frederick then questioned her about Garnes.
She replied that “he good sometimes . . . he ain’t all the bad.” She also said that he has a temper which flares when “people say certain things to him but otherwise he is a good person”.
Garnes also said this behaviour was “not on-going” but was something “that just happen that day”.
“He never see the baby yet and I feel sorry for he,” the woman said.
“I will grant you your wish,” Magistrate Frederick said.
“But I’m also going to put something over you to help you behave yourself,” he told Garnes.
“If you can behave yourself for six months, you can behave yourself for a longer time,” the magistrate said. “And try and keep your hands off the lady.”
Garnes has two priors.