Former councillor’s assault case rescheduled to March 14
Published:Tuesday | March 12, 2024 | 12:06 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE CASE against former St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) councillor David Brown, who is accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend during a confrontation in May 2023, has been pushed back for hearing on March 14, following his latest appearance in the St James Parish Court on Monday.
Brown, who is charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and malicious destruction of property, had his bail extended when his matter was briefly mentioned before presiding parish judge Sasha-Marie Ashley.
During Monday’s court proceedings, it was disclosed that Brown’s attorney, Albert Morgan, was absent due to illness. This resulted in the case being rescheduled for March 14 when it is expected that the matter will again be mentioned.
The allegations are that on May 28, 2023, the complainant, with whom Brown was in a relationship, was sitting in her car when Brown knocked on the vehicle’s window. The two got into a quarrel, during which Brown hit the complainant in her face, causing pain and swelling, and also damaged her car window.
Brown, who served as the StJMC’s councillor for the Montego Bay West division, was subsequently suspended from the Jamaica Labour Party following his arrest and charge.
Notably, during Brown’s previous court appearance on March 8, the court was advised that the complainant had expressed no desire to continue pursuing the case, but had neither submitted a statement to the police to indicate her intentions of discontinuing the matter, nor did she attend court.
During past court hearings of the matter, Morgan had indicated that Brown and the complainant were attending mediation and counselling sessions at the Probation Office.
The court had ordered the parties to attend restorative justice sessions when the matter was mentioned on July 12, 2023.
Brown had previously run afoul of the law in 2018 in relation to an outstanding warrant from the St James Family Court about a matter with the mother of his child and also for allegedly hitting a 65-year-old man with his licensed firearm on August 3 that year.
Brown spent five days in police custody before eventually being released.
The assault case was discontinued in 2019 after the complainant indicated that he did not wish to proceed any further against Brown.
Prior to his August 2018 arrest, Brown came under fire for reportedly verbally abusing a woman on social media in March 2018. At that time, the StJMC’s minority caucus of the People’s National Party served notice that they would bring a motion to have Brown suspended for his alleged actions.