A Facebook squabble between two women escalated into a fist fight in a police station on Tuesday and they both ended up in court for the offence.
After parting the fight between Jamika Joachim, 23, a final year university student and Lamarsha Joseph, 31, a mother and student, were arrested and charged by officers of the San Fernando Police Station.
They spent the night in the station and were taken before San Fernando Senior Magistrate Jo-Anne Connor on Wednesday where they pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace at the police station by fighting.
The fight took place around 12.15 pm in the reception area and according to one of the defence lawyers the dispute between the women may have been sparked “as a result of an imminent ménage à trois.”
Court prosecutor Cleyon Seedan said WPC Harnarinesingh saw the women exchanging blows and officers had to intervene to part the fight.
He said when WPC Harnarinesingh spoke with the women, Joachim said, “All yuh ent see she hit me first,” while Joseph said, “She posting thing on Facebook about me.”
The women, who stood next to each other in the prisoners’ dock in the First Court, admitted the version of events from the prosecution.
Their attorneys pleaded with the magistrate to give the women a chance as they were traumatised having spent the night in custody.
Seedan confirmed that they were first-time offenders. Joachim’s attorney Ainsley Lucky said Joachim, of Whiteland Road, Williamsville, went to the police station to make a report.
He said the fracas “could have been as a result of an imminent ménage à trois.” Lucky said Joachim, who is studying social sciences, was embarrassed and regretted the incident.
When asked by the magistrate whether she wanted to apologise, Joachim turned to Joseph and said, “Sorry.”
Joseph was also invited to apologise to Joachim. She, however, apologised in general to everyone affected by her actions. She complained that the incident stemmed from “Facebook provocation and lack of respect.”
She asked the magistrate to warn Joachim to “please stop harassing me.”
The magistrate advised her to seek legal advice.
In asking for leniency, Joseph’s attorney Ved Trebouhansingh submitted that she is a mother of three and lives with the father of two of her children at Union Hall, San Fernando.
“She has learnt her lesson,” he said.
Considering their clean record and the time they spent in custody, the magistrate reprimanded and discharged both of them.