Bridgetown man remanded to Dodds after indecent assault on Canadian tourist

Jeffrey David Yearwood pleaded guilty at the No. 1 District 'A' Magistrates' Court and was remanded to Dodds Prison until September 10.

Hothersal Turning man jailed pending sentence after Freedom Park assault

A Hothersal Turning man who described his indecent assault of a Canadian tourist near Freedom Park in Bridgetown as a "mistake" has been remanded to Dodds Prison, Barbados Today reports. Jeffrey David Yearwood appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick at the No. 1 District 'A' Magistrates' Court and pleaded guilty to the assault, which took place last Friday.

The court heard that the Canadian visitor had gone to Fairchild Street for a drink before walking over to Freedom Park. Yearwood approached her and indecently assaulted her. She pushed him away and called out for him to stop. Bystanders intervened, and the woman contacted the police. Yearwood appeared visibly intoxicated at the time, with slurred speech, prosecutor Sergeant Reginald Blackman told the court.

During his police interview, Yearwood admitted he had been under the influence of marijuana and cocaine at the time of the incident, Blackman said.

Addressing the court directly, Yearwood sought leniency: "It was a mistake. I was under the influence of alcohol. I am a family man, and I have things to buy for my children for school and don't want to disappoint them. I would like to ask politely if I could get a fine or personal bail. I am not a flight risk as I do not have a passport."

Acting Chief Magistrate Frederick dismissed intoxication as any form of justification. "It is no defence for a man to get drunk and do these types of things," he told Yearwood. He acknowledged that the offence had only recently been brought within the jurisdiction of the Magistrates' Court, having previously been reserved for the High Court — an indication, he said, of the gravity with which such matters are treated.

"You have also said that it was not you, in the sense that you were intoxicated or under the influence of drugs or whatever, but let me tell you for your knowledge that intoxication is really not a defence to these types of matters," Frederick said. "[Being] under the influence of drugs or drink is no defence. It might be taken into consideration as a mitigating factor."

Frederick noted that the "violation of another person" carried a real possibility of a custodial sentence and ordered a presentence report. He remanded Yearwood to Dodds Prison on the grounds of community protection.

"It seems as though there is a need for a type of intervention, because you are obviously a clear and present danger to the society to be walking about doing these things," the magistrate said.

Yearwood, who has one prior conviction for assault dating to 2021, will remain at Dodds until September 10.

Source: Barbados Today