Jovanie Richardson became the bane of his girlfriend’s existence, Magistrate Dr. Velon John told the court when he sentenced Mr. Richardson to 20 months behind bars for assaulting his girlfriend in her home in June 2013.
“She was assaulted, even when she was pregnant,” Dr. John said Friday morning. “It is something that you young men must realise: When you have a girlfriend, or a wife, that person is as independent as yourself. You don’t make their life a living hell.”
Mr. Richardson pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of damage to property earlier this week. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison for each of the charges, with the two assault charges running consecutively.
“You will be incarcerated for 20 months,” Dr. John told the defendant.
During the attack on June 20, 2013, the defendant not only assaulted his girlfriend, who at the time was 17 and pregnant, but also disrespected her mother and father, the judge said.
“You violated the sanctity of their home,” he added.
See the Feb. 13, 2014 edition for full coverage.