The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MOTHER and daughter were charged on Wednesday with damaging their neighbour’s car and assaulting another neighbour with a golf club.

Agnes Smith, 45, and Andesha Brown, 23, appeared in Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with causing harm.

Smith was also charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after she was accused of assaulting Rashaun Seymour with a golf club on March 22. She pleaded guilty to the charges and was conditionally discharged for 12 months and ordered to attend anger management classes.

Still, Magistrate Forbes said Smith’s failure to comply with the conditions of her sentence would result in the accused spending three months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BCDS) for each charge, which he ordered to run concurrently.

According to the facts read by prosecutor Sergeant McPhee, on March 22 Sean Seymour came to the East Street Police Station to report that a woman named Agnes Smith assaulted him with a golf club during an altercation. Smith was arrested and during an interview with police, admitted to being in an altercation with the complainant. As a result, she was cautioned and charged.

Her daughter, Brown, also pleaded guilty to causing harm and damage after she was accused of causing harm to Shauniqua Seymour and causing $975 worth of damage to her black 2009 Honda Accord.

Brown was also conditionally discharged for 12 months but must maintain good behaviour. However, failure to comply with the conditions of her sentence would result in her being sentenced to three months at the BCDS for each count, which was ordered to run concurrently. She was also ordered to pay Ms Seymour $975 on or before June 30.

According to the prosecution, Ms Seymour came to the East Street Police Station on March 22 around 2.45pm to report that a woman named Andesha Brown got in an altercation with her. During the altercation, Brown allegedly threw a liquid substance on Ms Seymour, which burned her and caused damage to her car. Brown was subsequently arrested and during an interview with police, denied the allegations. Sgt McPhee said while Brown admitted to being involved in an altercation with Ms Seymour, she said she did not know who threw the liquid and claimed that some of it got into her own eyes as well.

Both parties were represented by attorney Ian Cargill, who told the judge the incident came out of an “ongoing situation” with their neighbours. He added that Brown didn’t even live in the area and had only got involved in the altercation to defend her mother, who he claimed was “struck” by Ms Seymour’s mother during the incident in the presence of police.

Mr Cargill insisted that all parties should have been brought to court because everyone involved received injuries. He said he could not understand why his clients were kept in custody while the “other people” were released on bail.

During the arraignment, Magistrate Forbes told the defendants the situation could have been avoided had they controlled their anger and applied “dispute resolution tools” to resolve the disagreement.