Chicken bone dispute earns man suspended sentence

MONTEGO BAY, St James – A man accused of wounding another who accidentally hit him with a chicken bone was given a suspended sentence when he appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

Dennis Plummer responded to allegations of unlawful wounding.

Before sentencing, presiding judge Nationsha Fairclough-Hylton asked Plummer if he would address the court before sentencing. He expressed remorse for his actions.

After looking at the results of a court-ordered social investigation, the judge seemed to suggest that the suspect was losing control.

“It’s not a bad report, but it’s a shame you didn’t manage your anger properly,” she told Plummer.

“You should have controlled your temper. Ultimately, the complainant has a wound to his eye, so he has to be treated in Kingston,” the judge sanctioned.

She considered Plummer’s immediate guilty plea and decided to impose an 18-month prison sentence, which was subsequently suspended for two years.

“You are not going to prison at this time, but if you commit an offense within the next two years you will go to prison for these 18 months,” Fairclough-Hylton explained before allowing Plummer to leave the courtroom.

According to prosecution evidence, the incident occurred in Spring Mount on July 14 at around 12:30 p.m.

The complainant was in a store at the time consuming drinks and chicken. He reportedly threw away a chicken bone outside the store, accidentally hitting the suspect.

Plummer then used a knife to strike the complainant above his left eye, causing a wound.