“He Shoulda Get More,” Says Abused Victim

While Monique Hutchins is pleased that her former common-law husband – Kimmarley Douglas has been sent to prison for viciously beating her, she declared, “He shoulda get more.”

Hutchins, 45, of Cane Garden, was speaking to Reporters outside the Court room, shortly after Douglas, 32, of Rockies, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for inflicting grievous bodily harm on her.

Hutchins had told the Court that she had an abusive relationship with Douglas, and he continued to abuse her, even after the relationship ended.

One such occasion was on December 8, 2019 when, on her way around 6:50 pm to the supermarket at Sion Hill, Douglas attacked her.

“He was coming in my direction. He had a big stone in his hand, and came up to me, and started to beat me with the stone in my head and on my hands,” Hutchins recounted, adding that Douglas was telling her, “I will kill you, I will kill you.”

Hutchins recalled that Douglas had her on the ground and he continued to beat her until he was eventually removed by two passersby.

She said she received a fractured arm and injuries to her face and hands, and was warded at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital for two days. She said she had no argument with Douglas that day.

“He always beating me,” she declared.

“You been drinking that morning?” Prosecutor Curlene Samuel asked Hutchins, who replied, “Yes, I had couple drinks.”

But the woman insisted that it was Douglas who beat her.

Under cross-examination by Douglas, who was unrepresented, Hutchins admitted throwing rum in the defendant’s face that day, before the incident.

“I ain’t tell you I ain’t taking none?” he asked the woman, who did not reply.

“She pulled a knife after me the same night,” he told the Court, but Hutchins denied this, saying that her hand was fractured.

At this stage, Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett asked Douglas again whether he was guilty or not, and the defendant, who had initially pleaded not guilty, admitted to the offence.

Burnett then reminded Douglas that, “in this society we have rules. We have laws. We have regulations, and we have police stations.”

Douglas had previous convictions of a violent nature, including two for assaulting Hutchins.

“Yes, Douglas, you can’t meet your ex-girlfriend and beat her like that. You can’t take the law into your own hands. That’s not right,” Burnett advised.

“Based on what she is saying, she had an abusive relation with you. I am not saying that things were perfect with both of you, but that don’t give you the right to do what you did,” he added.

“My honour, she dangerous too. The amount of stabs and burn I done get from this woman, and I never lock up this woman,” Douglas told the Magistrate.

“She dangerous, what about you?” Burnett asked him sharply.

“Well, same to me,” Douglas admitted.

Douglas had been on remand in connection with this charge since January, and the Magistrate ordered that the time spent on remand be deducted from his sentence.

Photo credit: Iwin