Victim of violent physical abuse to appeal “unfair judgment”

Press Statement

St. John’s, Antigua, Nov 10th, 2023 — In response to the recent judgment and sentencing of Jennifer George John, her legal team led by attorney Wendel Robinson, has decided to appeal the High Court decision.

Ms. John was found guilty of damaging the Mazda Jeep of her girlfriend, Ebony Nicole Nicolas, in December 2021, after Nicolas inflicted serious injuries to her face and legs which required her to undergo two surgeries. She pleaded self defence as Nicholas was armed with a knife coming towards her. She had no choice.

The circumstances surrounding this case are complex, involving a chain of events that escalated under distressing conditions. Ms. John endured a traumatic incident of violent, life threatening, physical abuse. The legal team is concerned that Ms. John, who could have died from the severe beating that she took, suffered three different sentences.

While persons convicted of malicious damage are not penalized with imprisonment, she was jailed for five days. She was also ordered to pay compensation of $22,000.00 and fined $2,000.00.
Robinson believes that his client’s actions, including the damage to the jeep, should be viewed in the context of the overall situation, especially the record of physical abuse by Nicolas and the toll it took on her. Ms. John’s response, while regrettable, was a direct consequence of the physical harm inflicted upon her.

The appeal seeks a thorough reconsideration of the judgment, taking into account the full spectrum of events and the impact of the violence that triggered the actions of Ms. John in self defence.
Several other issues will be ventilated in the appeal, including but not limited to the splitting of the case into two trials and certain regrettable comments during the trial and the court’s decision.

The legal team remains committed to a fair and just resolution and reasonably expects that the judgment against Ms. John will be overturned.
Further updates will be provided as the legal proceedings unfold.