A domestic violence case that unfolded in the Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has concluded with a legal ruling holding an abusive partner accountable for his violent actions. 32-year-old Fidel Francois, a carpenter and mason from the Chauncey community, was handed down a sentence by Senior Magistrate Tamika McKenzie at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court that requires him to pay EC$500 in immediate compensation to his 23-year-old former girlfriend Kittanna Codougan, also a resident of Chauncey. If Francois fails to meet the compensation requirement, he will face a five-month prison sentence.
Francois entered a guilty plea to a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm, which was committed in Chauncey on the evening of March 20. The court heard full details of the incident and the history of the couple’s relationship, which had spanned more than nine months marked by repeated verbal and physical conflicts that were never reported to police before the March confrontation.
The chain of events that led to the violent outburst began when the pair returned from the capital city of Kingstown and stopped at Rasto’s Bar in the South Leeward village. Codougan gave Francois money to purchase drinks as she had promised, then returned home early to begin cleaning. When Francois arrived at the residence minutes later, he was already consumed by suspicion that Codougan had been unfaithful. He confronted her, questioned what she had been doing, blocked her path when she tried to move past him, and ultimately stepped close to smell her clothing before demanding to know where she had been and whether she was wearing underwear.
Codougan did not respond to the invasive questions and moved to the home’s porch to escape the confrontation, but Francois followed her and attempted to force her back inside. When she refused and instead walked toward the public road, Francois grabbed her, continued demanding she return inside, and escalated to brutal violence: he shoved her into a wall, punched and slapped her across multiple areas of her body, wrapped both hands around her throat, lifted her off the ground, and pressed her against the wall. After releasing her initially, Francois fled toward the road only to return and resume the assault. He then went into the home, retrieved a nail gun and attempted to power it to threaten Codougan, and when the tool failed to turn on, he returned inside and emerged carrying an axe and other tools, threatening to kill her.
Local law enforcement from the Questelles Police Station was contacted immediately, and officers arrived within minutes to take Francois into custody. During court proceedings, Codougan told the magistrate she requested EC$5,000 in compensation, explaining that since the choking assault, she has experienced persistent depression, frequent crying spells, and ongoing pain in her neck and back. Medical evidence presented to the court confirmed Codougan suffered visible injuries including swelling, bruising, and superficial open wounds. She also told the court she no longer feels safe around Francois, and that he returned to her home after the attack and threatened to burn the property down.
During mitigation, Francois pushed back on some details of the prosecution’s account. He admitted to smelling Codougan’s clothing, claiming he only acted after seeing another man leave the property when he returned from the bar, and said he only slapped her after she bit his shoulder. He denied choking her, lifting her, or pushing her against a wall, as well as denied threatening to burn down the home, claiming he only returned to retrieve a forgotten mobile phone. He told the court he felt regret shortly after the incident.
Magistrate McKenzie rejected Francois’ claims of remorse, noting she found no genuine evidence of contrition in his statements and actions. She considered imposing a six-and-a-half-month prison term, but ultimately sentenced Francois to a nine-month good behavior bond set at EC$1,000, in addition to the immediate compensation order. If Francois violates the terms of his bond, he will be required to pay the full EC$1,000 immediately or serve six months behind bars.