Pregnant woman whacks brother with golf club

A woman who is seven months pregnant pleaded guilty to hitting her brother with a golf club in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court heard on Monday.

Janet Graham-James is charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a quarrel that reportedly started over unsettled loan payments. Graham-James hit her brother in the shoulder on July 23. It was shared that the complainant went to the home they shared to remove his personal belongings when she asked him to turn over his keys for the premises. The complainant refused and Graham-James tried to take his phone from him. However, the complainant walked away, and Graham-James hit her 19-year-old brother with the club.

In an attempt to properly mediate the matter, Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montaque quizzed the siblings to find out what caused the conflict.

"I just want her to apologise and pay back for the loan that her spouse owe for," the complainant said. It was explained that sometime in March, the complainant assisted Graham-James' husband in receiving a loan of $100,000. However, the husband failed to make payments in July and the complainant paid $30,000 on his behalf.

"The loan is the source of contention," the prosecutor informed the senior judge, adding that the complainant was leaving the family home due to disagreement with the loan.

"I don't owe him Your Honour. I owe Courts," the woman's husband told the judge.

"You don't think he is embarrassed? You don't think he is being inconvenienced? His credit mash up right now. He paid the money for you so you have to pay him back," the judge said as she scolded Graham-James and her husband.

The prosecutor shared with Judge Cole-Montaque that the outstanding loan amount now stands at $140,584 as Unicomer, parent company for Courts, sent the complainant a correspondence.

"You are going to pay back this man his money," the judge ordered. Graham-James and her husband are to return to court on October 31 to make payment.