Magistrate Kaywana Jacobs is slated to rule on Monday on a submission that no case was made out against the three women who allegedly fought a teacher at the Langley Park Government School.
Lawyer Israel Bruce made the no case submission on behalf of the accused women, Azania Caine, a secretary, her mother, Roxy Baptiste, a shopkeeper, and Azania’s aunt Lukeisha Baptiste, a farmer.
They were charged that on Oct. 3, they entered upon the property of the Langley Park Government School to wit the schoolyard to commit the offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The Baptistes were charged also that on Oct. 3, at Langley Park, they assaulted Donnette Sampson, 34, a teacher, of New Chapmans/Cedars, causing actual bodily harm.
Caine and Roxy were charged that Oct. 3, at Langley Park, they assaulted Lushan Sampson, 38, an auxiliary police officer, of New Chapmans, causing actual bodily harm.
The prosecutor, acting Sergeant of Police Corlene Samuel, called nine witnesses during the trial, which began at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court exactly six months after the incident allegedly occurred.
Sampson testified that on the day in question, she was teaching Azania’s child, who used a toy gun to spout water on other students.
She said that the grade 2 student was “disturbing” and “screaming,” so she sent him to the Head Teacher, Sherrylan Springer.
Sampson said that when the child returned to the classroom, he continued spraying the other students with the water gun.
The teacher said that she repeatedly told the pupil to behave himself but he persisted so she “spanked him twice on the foot”.
The teacher told the court that the following day, Oct. 3, 2024, Springer met her and Azania in the school corridor and Sampson explained what had transpired the day before.
Sampson said Azania had come to inquire about why she had hit her child the previous day.
Sampson said that during the conversation, Azania became aggressive and began cursing, saying that if she had to visit the school again because someone hit her son, “me nah go talk”.
She said the principal then told Azania to leave the school premises, but she refused.
As a result, the principal asked Sampson, who is also Danette’s sister, to escort Azania from the compound.
Danette said the principal told her to record the incident, which she did using her mobile phone.
Danette said Lushan held onto Azania’s shoulder, after which a fight broke out between Azania and the security officer.
Danette said the principal tried to break up the fight.
She testified that as she turned to enter her classroom to put away the cellphone, she was struck in the face, resulting in a “scuffle” and then a fight between her and Lukeisha.
The prosecutor made an application to the court to have two police officers in the Police IT Department — Corporal 604 Stapleton and PC 173 Jessica Charles — deemed expert witnesses.
However, Bruce objected, saying that the prosecution had not disclosed Stapleton’s evidence.
The magistrate, however, allowed Charles to testify, and a two-minute video she said she had extracted from Danette’s phone was shown to the court.
Prosecution’s case ‘all over the place’
In his no-case submission, Bruce said Azania went to the school on behalf of the child who had been beaten the previous day.
He said the crown did not present “a shred of evidence” that she went to the school to assault, harm, intimidate, threaten or annoy.
Bruce said the evidence suggests that Azania did not become aggressive until she was pushed and asked to leave the compound.
The lawyer argued that the prosecution’s evidence was “all over the place” and the prosecution witnesses “were not credible”.
The prosecutor agreed that Azania had gone to the school to enquire about her son.
Samuel added that Azania became disrespectful and aggressive when she was asked to leave the school compound.
The prosecutor, however, told the court that Azania’s behaviour on the school compound compromised the school’s mission to protect the staff and students, resulting in the criminal trespass charge.
The prosecutor said the security was employed to keep peace, and her duty was to protect, using reasonable force if necessary.