By FARRAH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A 51-year-old man who said he spat in the faces of two strangers because that’s what he felt like doing at the time was sentenced to two months in prison yesterday.
Owen Strapp appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with two counts of assault, after he spat at Kevin Robinson and Michael Johnson on August 4.
The court was told Mr Robinson was in the parking lot of Home Fabrics on Carmichael Road, when he got into a verbal altercation with Strapp. The prosecution said it was at that time that the defendant spit saliva in Mr Robinson’s face.
That same day, Mr Johnson also went to the Carmichael Road Police Station to file a complaint against Strapp. In his report, he told officers he was at the Royal Bank of Canada Carmichael Road branch when an unknown male approached him without a face mask. Mr Johnson said the man then made a disturbance, before spitting in his face. Both men requested police action, and as a result of their complaints, Strapp was arrested.
After pleading guilty during the hearing yesterday, Strapp told the magistrate he had “no reason” to spit at the men, but did so because that’s what he “wanted to do at that period of time.”
In response, Magistrate Forbes noted the defendant did not seem “remorseful” for his actions, but instead, appeared to be “prideful” about the ordeal. As a result, he sentenced Strapp to two months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. He also fined Strapp $500 for failing to wear a face mask in public at the time of the incident.
After sentencing Strapp, Magistrate Forbes told him he was fortunate the men he assaulted that day did not retaliate. Strapp agreed.
Yesterday, Renaldo Williams, 35, was also charged after he was accused of assaulting his mother and threatening to kill her on July 30.
He denied the allegations during his hearing before Magistrate Forbes and the matter was adjourned to October 8 for trial.
Bail was denied and the defendant was remanded into custody in the interim.
He has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.
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