Savita Persaud, proprietress of a popular drinking bar in Station Street Kitty, Georgetown, was on Friday freed of an assault charge after the matter had been tried by Principal Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The 33-year-old Persaud and 25-year-old Revelana Smith, called ‘Ducky’, of William Street Kitty, Georgetown, had been on trial for allegedly assaulting each other at the East La Penitence Police Station on April 23, 2019.
Smith was, four days ago, sentenced to nine months in prison after being found guilty of the charge. Persaud later led her defense in the matter, and was cleared of the offence.
In handing down her decision, Magistrate Mc Gusty declared that, based on the injuries she had seen on the parties, and given their respective explanations, she was of the opinion that Persaud, the owner of Liquid Love Bar, was merely defending herself during the altercation with Smith. Accordingly, she dismissed the case against Persaud.
On their first court appearance, each woman had pleaded guilty to the charge read to her. However, the magistrate had entered a not-guilty plea on each woman’s behalf following their respective explanations of what had transpired.
According to Smith, she was attending a church service at the Berbice Penitentiary when she asked Persaud to find out what time the vehicle was coming to transport them to court, and Persaud started calling her names. This, she said, led to an altercation between them, but the matter was addressed by the matron of the prisons.
Smith said further that when they arrived at the East La Penitence Police Station, Persaud approached her, and they started to fight after Persaud again used obscene language against her.
Persaud, however, indicated that she was only trying to defend herself by scratching the other woman’s face after she was attacked.
Smith had previously been charged with attempted murder, after she had allegedly cut off the finger of a policewoman and had dealt the woman several chops to her head and hand during a fight over her ‘child father’.
Persaud is currently in prison, facing five charges before the courts. In June last, she was jailed for human trafficking.
