Abusive ex-boyfriend jailed for four years

A ROCKIES MAN will spend four years and two months behind bars for, in the dead of night, trespassing onto the property of a woman who he severely abused in the past, and lying in wait for her.

This Tuesday, March 23, Kimmarley ‘Nappy’ Douglas, was convicted for the offence of burglary with intent to the premises of 46-year-old Monique Hutchins of Cane Garden.

The Kingstown Magistrate’s Court conducted a full trial on the matter, which was prosecuted by Sergeant Renrick Cato. Douglas led his own defense.

Hutchins gave her evidence earlier this month, on March 8. She said she went home in the early morning of January 23, using the light of her phone to see in the darkness. She then heard ‘Babes’, and pointing the light in the direction of the voice, her abusive ex-boyfriend was illuminated. He was standing beside her bed. Frightened, Hutchins asked him what he was doing there, and told him to get out. She also ran outside and began to scream. Watching her with wild eyes, she said, Douglas then left.

After the prosecution closed their case, the court had been trying to locate witnesses that Douglas indicated he wanted to give evidence. He claimed that he was in Rockies gambling on the night of the incident.

However, although one of the persons named went to court on Tuesday, it seemed that his evidence could not conclusively support this alibi.

After being found guilty, Douglas did not provide a plea in mitigation to the court.

Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett, stood down the matter for a while to contemplate his sentence and weigh the issues, using the sentencing guidelines of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court(ECSC).

The offence is a serious one, Burnett stated, and the court, along with other factors, had to consider the emotional distress to Hutchins, “having suffered at the hands of this defendant before”.

The court looked at the previous convictions of the defendant, including that he was found guilty for causing grievous bodily harm to Hutchins on December 8, 2019, wherein her arms were broken.

A 12-month prison sentence was handed down for the grievous bodily harm charge, but it was soon after he was released from prison for this offence that Douglas committed the offence for which he has been recently convicted.

“..That was a aggravating feature in this case. The defendant appears to show no remorse at all, I didn’t get the impression that he showed any remorse,” the magistrate noted.

The court also looked at whether Douglas was motivated by an intention to do harm, and the risk of actual injury to Hutchins.

“Having looked at the aggravating and mitigating factors in this matter, the aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating factors,” the judicial officer concluded.

Calculations based on the guidelines ended with a sentence of four years and two months being handed down.

If he is aggrieved with the sentence, Douglas may appeal.

Indications are that Douglas may have said s1omething threatening to Hutchins at some point on Tuesday when the court was not in session.

As he left the court premises to be transported to prison, Douglas gave the camera a middle finger gesture.

In addition to her arms being broken, Hutchins has been the victim of further abuse. In January 2020, she is said to have been beaten in her face with a hammer.