Man, captured on video viciously beating woman, jailed

A man who was captured on video footage viciously beating his former girlfriend in Kingstown, must spend 18 months in jail for his actions.

On December 21, 2019, Luther Badnock dealt multiple blows to the woman who, for two years, used to be his lover.

In fact, just before Christmas, the 35-year-old fisherman of Old Montrose had managed to put his 32-year-old ex-girlfriend in the Intensive Care Unit(ICU) with the injuries she received.

According to the medical report, partially read by Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett, some of these wounds included five cm, three cm, four cm lacerations, and a five cm laceration that was 12 centimeters deep.

The woman, after being prompted, told the senior magistrate that she received the deepest cut in her head, and that she now gets headaches off and on, which she didn’t have before the incident.

The court heard that the former girlfriend ended the relationship with Badnock because of abuse and threats to her life. Nevertheless, despite this, she would still say “hi” to him. On December 19, she is said to have given him $15 to hold for her but, when she asked for this money back, the defendant started to curse and issue threats to kill her.

Two days later, on December 21, while she was walking near the St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown, she realized that she was being followed by the defendant at a distance. She started to walk faster, but Badnock walked at the same pace as well.

When she was walking along Lower Bay Street, she felt a lash to the back of her head, and when she looked she saw Badnock with an unknown object in a white sack. Badnock then struck her several times about her body, and in her head.

He left after this, and she was taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH).

The video showed the defendant rushing up to the unsuspecting woman, throwing his hand back and purposefully striking her down. All the blows, five at least, seemed to have force and purpose behind them.

While this footage was being shown, an older woman seated in the court room dabbed her eyes.

Speaking about the video, Prosecutor Corlene Samuel commented, “and look at the way that he WALKED away…aggressively…She was left on the street.”

“The atmosphere we are living in in St Vincent, women are being battered every day…and we need to send a strong message to the men that it’s about time that they stop doing this to our women in our society. These type of men…,” she declared.

The case was aggravated, Samuel believed, by the facts that “he struck her in her head area repeatedly. It was an unprovoked incident your honour, and he came from behind of her, where she would least expect it.”

All Badnock could tell the magistrate, who was trying to determine the defendant’s logic for his actions was: “Anger just take the best of me.”

Violence had not been part of his previous record before the courts.

His lawlessness, up to that point, having been confined to theft, burglary and controlled drugs convictions.

The weapon he used, he claimed, was a stick. He also said that he didn’t want to kill her, that he didn’t plan the event, and just met the stick somewhere before putting it in his bag.

“I tell you what Mr Badnock, I am of the view that this offence…what transpired on that day, deserves a custodial sentence…meaning prison,” Burnett ultimately told the defendant.

The magistrate told the prosecutor that his message will be strong, but not excessive.

He sentenced Badnock to 18 months in jail, inclusive of the two months he has already spent on remand.