Couple airs dirty linen in Court

A couple has aired their dirty laundry in court after an argument of theirs landed the boyfriend in court facing two charges.

Accusations flew, when Anthony Franklyn, 24 years old, was charged before the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday with damaging his girlfriend, Cindy Bynoe’s, stereo system on June 30.

He was also charged with, in Clifton Union Island, having an offensive weapon, namely a brown handled cutlass in the public road.

The police indicated when the facts were read in the court, that Bynoe and Franklyn were in a common law relationship, and were living together. On the day in question the two had an argument, and the defendant told Bynoe

to leave his home, and take her belongings with her. In the process of moving the belongings outside, he put the stereo system, said to be valued at around $800, on a wall, and the system fell.
The argument continued, and Franklyn went into the road with his cutlass, making threats to Bynoe.

Franklyn agreed with these facts, but stated that he was already leaving to do some cutlass work at a shop where he works with his father. Franklyn said that he got mad because he believed his girlfriend allowed her aunt’s husband to perform oral sex on her for a phone.

Franklyn began crying in court.

Bynoe said that Franklyn has been abusing her over her two year relationship with him, and that they have a child together who is nine months old. Bynoe said that she did not want Franklyn to go to jail because of their child, and she just wants her stuff back. She also claimed that Franklyn had been unfaithful to her.

Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett told her that she could get back her things but that the defendant would remain the same person. He submitted that Franklyn may leave her and go on to abuse another woman, and observed that the defendant has some issues he needs to manage.

In the end a compensation order was granted, for the sum of EC$800, to be paid by October 30, or the defendant will spend three months in prison. Further, Franklyn was bonded for a year in the sum of $3000, and if this bond is breached he will spend nine months in prison.

Additionally, six months of counselling was stipulated for the two.