Niece testifies against uncle in assault bodily harm case

A niece testified against her uncle last Wednesday, offering evidence that she saw him hit the mother of his child and drag her on the ground.

The prosecution, led by prosecutor Corlene Samuel, has closed its case attempting to prove before Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court that defendant Isaac Medford of Sion Hill is guilty of assault bodily harm.

The next time the matter is heard it will be for Medford to provide his defense to the allegations.

On Wednesday, July 1, it was submitted that at the time of the alleged offence, Medford and Dian Williams of Questelles were in a relationship and this union produced one child.

Williams herself was the first witness to speak about her version of events for the January 18, 2020, Sion Hill incident. She said that it was nighttime when the two of them were at a shop, and Medford told her to go out of the shop, following which he flung her out. She explained that she fell on the ground, but in doing so she hit a bench.

According to Williams, she was helped up, and she left the scene. However, upon leaving she said that she was cut-off by the defendant, who began to beat her all over her body with his hands.

In questioning her, her former lover submitted that Williams was drunk and misbehaving, to which Williams conceded that she was drunk. She said she did tear her clothes during this time, and this was in an effort to get him to leave her alone.

Medford also conceded he was intoxicated as well.

When asked how, if he didn’t beat her, did she get the injuries shown on the medical form, he replied “I ain’t know because I ain’t touch the woman up till now.”

However, Medford’s adult niece, Keniesha Wilson, also took the stand, and informed that she knew Williams through her uncle. The niece spoke confidently about the night in question, claiming that while she was home she heard a woman crying outside, and saying to leave her alone. Wilson said she saw Medford drag Williams, who was partly naked, on the ground. He also went up to her and pushed her, Wilson noted, and kept trying to approach her. Williams had apparently broken a bottle and was telling him not to come towards her.

“He keep going after her”, recalled Wilson, which caused her to say to her uncle “You can’t leave the girl alone.”

When the prosecutor asked her if she saw Medford hit Williams, she replied that she did. Wilson also claimed that she told Medford that she (Wilson) was his niece and he wouldn’t “want anyone doing me that.” The niece said that her uncle told her that he’s his own big man.

She also posited that when Williams tried to leave the area, Medford followed her, and when she told Williams to wait and let him go, her uncle kept changing direction to follow her.

At first Medford did not want to question his niece, but he chose to do so eventually. His questioning prompted Wilson to reveal more alleged facts, and she told him that he threatened to go for a jug of gas to throw on Williams.

She said she guessed he was under the influence because earlier on they had gone to a funeral together.

The arresting officer also gave evidence, during which he read a statement by the defendant, denying that he did any of the things that he was accused of.

Witnesses for the defense are expected to give evidence on July 17.