Witness: I never saw punch thrown

A trial of a woman accused of punching an ex-husband in the head continued yesterday.

In Magistrates' Court, Meladine Isabel Harris, 42, of Crossland Lane, Pembroke, brought her own witness to testify on her behalf.

It was previously reported that a cousin of her ex-husband, Harry Lightbourne, saw Harris punch Mr. Lightbourne on Church Street on May 30.

However, Harris maintained she only pointed a finger in his face and was furious over alleged non-payment of child support for five children.

Nicketta Fubler, of Scott's Hill Road, told Mr. Tokunbo that she did not see Harris punch Mr. Lightbourne.

"I watched (the argument) for a minute or two because it looked like it might get out of hand," Ms Fubler said. "I saw her walk off and ended walking a little ways behind her. The car followed her and a fellow in the car started shouting. She argued back until she turned a corner to go to her job."

Ms Fubler said she was leaving an office at the Ministry of Youth and Sport near the MarketPlace on Church Street when she heard an argument across the street involving Harris.

However, under cross-examination by Crown counsel Nicole Smith, Ms Fubler agreed that she could not say for certain that Harris did not punch Mr. Lightbourne.

"Ms Harris did punch Mr. Lightbourne on the side of the head," Ms Smith alleged.

"I didn't see that," Ms Fubler replied.

"Would you agree that Harris could have punched him before you actually saw it?" the prosecutor asked before Ms Fubler grudgingly agreed.

Mr. Tokunbo extended bail for Harris and ordered her to reappear in court this morning at 9.30 a.m. for a ruling in the case.

Chef, bartender banned from driving

A chef and bartender were each fined $800 and banned from driving for 12 months for drunk driving.

Danick Desjardins, 31, of Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke, pleaded guilty to driving over the legal limit on Front Street on November 30.

Crown counsel Shakira Dill said Police were standing on Parliament Street when they saw Desjardins pulling out of a parking lot on Front Street.

They told him to stop but he did not.

He was seen swerving before Police stopped him on Crow Lane. His lowest breathalyser reading was 242 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

"I stopped for a beer," Desjardins told Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo.

"You should have walked your bike past the Police Station," Mr. Tokunbo replied.

Bartender Earl Godfrey, 75, of Cedar Park Road, Devonshire, pleaded guilty to impaired driving on Beacon Road, Pembroke, on November 17.

Ms Dill said Police responded to a road traffic collision at 6.22 p.m. when a car with extensive front end damage was seen parked in a Leopards Club parking lot.

Damage to a nearby building closely matched damage to the car and Police found Godfrey at home later that night.

He admitted to driving the car but refused to give a breath sample, for which he was also charged. That charge was eventually dropped. "I was not drinking before the accident," Godfrey said. "I meant to hit the brake but hit the gas."

Godfrey said he had a few drinks at home.

'Dukes of Hazzard' driving style earns rebuke

A teenager's "Dukes of Hazzard" style of driving cost him $2,130. In Magistrates' Court yesterday, Ricco Furbert, 18, of Stowe Court, Pembroke, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, using an unlicensed bike, having no insurance, no driver's licence, an unfastened helmet and failing to stop for Police in 2004.

Crown counsel Shakira Dill said Furbert ran a red light then drove down the sidewalk on Court Street, forcing pedestrians to run out of the way.

He then turned east onto Reid Street, going the wrong way, and forced oncoming cars to stop suddenly or swerve out of the way. Furbert proceeded south on King Street until he jumped off his bike and ran onto Front Street, where he was apprehended by Police. "That sounds like the 'Dukes of Hazzard' to me," Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo said. "Who does that sound like to you?"

"It sounds like me right now," Furbert replied.

Furbert was arrested on a warrant after failing to appear in court in 2004. He said he just started a job on Monday and would need time to pay his fine. "Everybody when they come to court just started a job on Monday," Mr. Tokunbo said. "I wonder how that works?" Mr. Tokunbo gave Furbert until February 17 to pay his fine or spend 213 days in jail.