PHILIPSBURG--The Court of First Instance handed down several sentences in cases of relational violence, assault and property damage on Thursday, August 5.
A 37-year-old man received an irrevocable sentence for hitting his companion in the face with a BB gun, a type of air gun designed to shoot metallic ball projectiles. He also kicked her out of a door during the incident which occurred on May 25. The woman’s fingers were caught in the door in the process, while her assailant slammed it shut behind her.
The judge sentenced the man to 60 hours of community service, 40 hours of which were suspended, on two years’ probation. The man’s sentence became irrevocable because neither he nor the Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal against the court’s verdict.
In another case of relational violence, an elderly man who had pushed and punched his wife in the throat received a fine of NAf. 1,500, with deduction of NAf. 50 per day for the days he spent in pre-trial detention.
Attached to the verdict was a suspended prison sentence of one month, with behavioural intervention training related to relational violence.
Another man who constantly verbally threatened his elderly parents and threatened them with a knife was sentenced to 180 hours of community service with 100 hours suspended, on two years’ probation.
The judge attached mandatory guidance by the Probation Office to the verdict. This contact may include treatment or medication provided by the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), or outpatient treatment at Turning Point, including urine checks. The special condition was attached by the court because of the man’s mental condition and drug abuse.
A conditional sentence of three months on two years’ probation and 150 hours of community service, or 75 days in case of non-compliance, was meted out to a man for assault with a piece of wood.
The perpetrator assaulted another man twice under the misguided suspicion that the victim had stolen his car battery.
The first beating left the victim with an arm broken in two places. On the victim’s return from hospital, he was assaulted again. This time his jaw was dislocated, his eye was hurt and some of his teeth came loose.
The culprit was also sentenced to pay for the victim’s hospital bills and to compensate him for the pain endured. If he does not pay, he will have to undergo 71 days of detention.
A scooter rider was sentenced in absentia to 60 hours of community service for assaulting a woman and damaging her car on February 19. The assault occurred after the scooter rider hit the woman’s vehicle as she was leaving a parking lot.
The scooter rider became very angry about the collision, pulled the woman’s hair and punched her in the face when she called the police.
The woman was of the opinion that the accident was not her fault and, to escape any further harm, she withdrew into her car. This did not bring an end to the situation, as the scooter rider jumped on the vehicle and broke the windshield.
The Prosecutor’s Office said it has noticed an increase in cases of relational violence and assault in the past months. “This trend is of continued concern for OM SXM [the Prosecutor’s Office – Ed.] as these kinds of cases do not bode well for the community,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated.
