What began as an ordinary end to a work shift at the Antigua and Barbuda Transport Board spiraled into shocking violence in late 2022, leaving one woman injured and her coworker convicted of unlawful wounding.
The confrontation, which unfolded in a suddenly darkened office room, has resulted in convicted defendant Rockell Browne being placed in custody ahead of her sentencing hearing scheduled for September 25. Following a judge-only trial, Justice John Spencer delivered the guilty verdict, rejecting Browne’s repeated claims that she had acted in self-defense during the physical altercation.
Court testimony laid out the sequence of events that led to the attack. After clocking out for the day, the alleged victim entered an office room to retrieve her personal bag, and the two women met in the narrow doorway. Prosecutors allege that Browne intentionally shoved her coworker backward into the room’s light switch, which cut power to the space and left the entire room in complete darkness.
Seconds after the lights went out, a full physical fight broke out between the two employees. A third worker on site rushed into the darkened room to intervene and separate the combatants, but the chaos of the encounter allowed Browne to grab a nearby pair of scissors. In the confusion, she stabbed her colleague three times, causing visible wounds that led to the criminal charges.
Throughout the trial, Browne maintained that she was the one who had been attacked first. She told the court that the complainant had repeatedly engaged in aggressive behavior toward her at work, including purposefully bumping into her on multiple occasions. Browne added that she had filed formal complaints about this behavior to three separate Transport Board supervisors, though one of those supervisors directly refuted that testimony, telling the court they had never received any such report from Browne.
Browne also claimed that the third worker who stepped in to break up the fight did not act as a neutral peacemaker — instead, she alleged that the intervenor was romantically involved with the complainant and actively joined the altercation against her.
Justice Spencer did not find Browne’s version of events credible, leading to the guilty conviction. Crown Counsel Curtis Cornelius served as the lead prosecutor for the case, while defense attorney Wendel Alexander represented Browne throughout the trial proceedings. Browne is currently being held on remand, and the court will set her official punishment at the upcoming sentencing hearing next month.