Fairbain Pasture man escapes jail time

The remorse of a young man in apologizing to a female auxiliary police officer who he scuffled on Carnival Monday may be the reason he received a merciful sentence.

Damian James, a 25-year-old construction worker of Fairbain Pasture, admitted to being intoxicated at around 7:55 am on July 8, 2019, when he assaulted an auxiliary officer, Sharna Trumpet.

The auxiliary officer was on duty at the Financial Complex, dressed in her uniform. She saw that James was holding on to a female and saw that the unknown woman was crying and asking James to let her go.

When the officer approached the two, and told James to release the woman, he did so, but instead, scuffled the officer by her shirt. The extent of the action caused another officer to have to come to her aid, and the young man was arrested and taken to the police station.

James told Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett that he had had some liquor in him at the time, but the woman, who he said was his girlfriend, did not.

However, the auxiliary officer, who was present informed that James had said that he was sorry, when he met her at a funeral.

When the magistrate asked her if she accepted the apology, she replied that she did, and told him that he must have respect for police officers, must not answer back, and do as they ask.

“And he said he would do that?” the magistrate asked her, to which she replied that he did say he would.

Having heard this, Burnett decided to reprimand and discharge the youth.