Man who proposed in court in trouble again
Aman who caught the attention of a parish court judge last year when he proposed to his common-law-wife is back before the courts for physically assaulting another woman.
Andre Chantiloupe pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court yesterday.
Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague expressed shock when she saw him in the prisoner’s dock, having been before her three times in 2021.
The allegations are that on July 13 about 7:45 a.m., Chantiloupe picked up the complainant at her home in St Andrew and was taking her to work when they got into an argument, which became physical. Chantiloupe allegedly hit the complainant in the face three times, in both eyes and on her right cheek, causing pain and swelling. However, Chantiloupe said he never touched the complainant.
“We slept in the same house and brought her and her son by her grandmother’s house in the morning. We were in the car coming down and I tell her that I am going to move out my stuff ‘cause me need a likkle space. She start seh me nuh need fi move out my stuff and seh she ago hurt herself. Same time, she pull the car door ready fi jump out right a Cement Company and me grab on to her and pull over the car and me ask her weh she a do. She seh she ago hurt herself because me seh me a move out. Me never hurt her, Your Honour, you see because me know me have something a hang over my head, me was so calm because me nuh want go prison Your Honour,” the 36-year-old said. On his last court appearance, Cole-Montague sentenced Chantiloupe to three years suspended for three years.
“Me nuh abuse her, Your Honour, because is like me deh a the cell and a tell dem seh a you me ago face this morning. Me couldn’t sleep last night ‘cause now me ago come face you,” he said, evoking laughter in the courtroom. “That’s good! That’s the effect the courtroom must have,” the judge responded.
While the complainant’s account was being read in court, Chantiloupe hung his head while holding on to the prisoner’s dock rails.
“We were having a conversation which he started to accuse me of lying. He then threatened to kill me and we began to argue, he pulled a scissors from the driver’s door and told me that he will stab me in my neck and lock me up in the car. When I heard that, I was trying to get out of the car, even though it was moving. I pulled the door and he held on to my neck while he was driving. I was trying to get out of his hands, while doing so my feet were on the dashboard. I was wrestling with him and my foot hit the windscreen, and it shattered. He stopped, when he realised the windscreen was shattered and held on to my face, punching me three times. I got free from him and came out of the car,” the statement read. Cole-Montague said she was “deeply concerned”.
“You came before the court in January and what a performance you put on then. You came before me a little after that, I remanded you in custody pending sentencing and because of what you said and the lawyer said, I said I will give you a chance, and I gave you a suspended sentence for three years with the condition that you get anger management counselling and then you come before me now, for this kind of offence,” the judge said.
Cole-Montague ordered that Chantiloupe be remanded until September 9. A fingerprint order was made.