“Six weeks is nuff weeks away from my 19 children. What is going to happen to my children?!” a man exclaimed in court this morning upon learning that he was sentenced to six weeks in prison for an assault charge to which he pleaded guilty.
Adrian Brandt called ‘Brave’, 40, a minibus driver, pleaded guilty with explanation to the charge which stated that on August 9 at Georgetown he unlawfully assaulted Eric Coates so as to cause him actual bodily harm.
Brandt in his explanation stated, “every time I loading my bus they does come and beat me so I picked up a piece of wood and dealt him several lashes about his body.”
Facts presented by Police Prosecutor Traceyann Gittens stated that on the day in question at around 10:30 hrs, Brandt confronted the victim who is a bus conductor and dealt him several slaps about his face.
The court heard Brandt then picked up a piece of metal and dealt the victim several lashes about his face and legs. The Prosecutor went on to tell the court that the defendant has a history of behaving aggressively and is currently facing a rape charge at the High Court.
Brandt, upon hearing the Prosecutor’s statements, said, “My matter in the High Court has nothing to do with this. Let’s just deal with the assault.”
The magistrate, after listening to the facts, sentenced Brandt to six weeks behind bars for the offence.
A visibly upset Brandt upon hearing the sentence burst into tears. He was then escorted out of the courtroom by an officer.
Last year, Brandt was committed to stand trial in the High Court for rape following the conclusion of a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) conducted by Senior Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The Magistrate ruled that there was sufficient evidence against Brandt for him to stand trial before a judge and jury at the Supreme Court.
He is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old female passenger four years ago.
He was not required to plead to the charge which stated that on October 7, 2015, at Plum Park, Sophia, he engaged in sexual penetration with a child under the age of 16.
According to information, the teen was a frequent traveller in the minibus in which the defendant operated.
It was reported that on the day in question, the teen was a passenger in the minibus when Brandt drove to an unknown area in Plum Park, Sophia and allegedly raped her.
The teen then complained to her parents about what had transpired and the matter was reported. Brandt is currently on $300,000 bail pending the hearing and determination of the matter in the High Court.
