A resident of Hothersal Turning has been ordered to be held at Dodds Prison ahead of his sentencing, after he pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting an out-of-country visitor in Bridgetown. In court proceedings, Jeffrey David Yearwood acknowledged the incident, which unfolded while he was impaired by a combination of illicit drugs and alcohol, as a serious mistake.
The case was heard before Acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick at the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court, where the details of the attack last Friday were laid out. According to official testimony, the female tourist, a Canadian national visiting Barbados, had stopped for a drink on Fairchild Street before making her way to Freedom Park, the location where Yearwood approached and attacked her.
The victim immediately resisted Yearwood, pushing him away and calling out for assistance. Witnesses at the scene noted Yearwood appeared heavily intoxicated, with heavily slurred speech that confirmed his impaired state. Bystanders stepped in to detain Yearwood until the victim could contact local law enforcement to take him into custody.
Prosecuting Sergeant Reginald Blackman told the court that during a formal interview with police following his arrest, Yearwood admitted he had consumed both marijuana and cocaine in addition to alcohol before the incident. When given the opportunity to address the court, Yearwood pleaded for leniency, framing the attack as an out-of-character mistake driven by his intoxication. He described himself as a family man with school-aged children who need supplies for the upcoming term, saying he did not want to let his family down. Yearwood requested he be released on personal bail or receive a fine rather than pre-sentencing detention, noting he held no passport and could not be considered a flight risk.
However, Magistrate Frederick rejected these arguments, making clear that intoxication is never a legal defense for violent, violating acts against another person. “It is no defence for a man to get drunk and do these types of things,” Frederick told the defendant. The magistrate emphasized that sexual and indecent assault are extremely serious offenses; only recently were such cases reclassified to allow magistrate’s courts to hear them, he noted, as historically they were reserved exclusively for High Court proceedings due to their severity.
Frederick acknowledged that while intoxication can be considered as a minor mitigating factor during sentencing, it does not excuse the harm done to the victim. “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 defense to these types of matters. [Being] under the influence of drugs or drink is no defense,” he added.
The magistrate also noted that Yearwood has a prior assault conviction dating back to 2021, reinforcing that he poses a current threat to public safety. After ordering a full presentence report to inform his final sentencing decision, Frederick ruled Yearwood must be held in pre-sentencing custody to protect the general public. “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,” he said.
Yearwood will remain at Dodds Prison until his next scheduled court date on September 10, when his sentencing will be finalized.