Judges of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) have frowned on Ian Teddy Elick, of the Kalinago Territory, who was convicted in 2014 on charges of intimidation, theft, malicious damage, battery, threats, and assault on a woman.
The court headed by Chief Justice Dame Janice M. Pereira with Justice of Appeal Madame Louise Blenman and Gertal Thom heard Elick’s appeal this week.
Elick, who represented himself in the appeal, told the court that the sentence imposed when he was before the Magistrate’s Court, was “harsh” and he was “sorry” for his actions and was asking for “leniency”. He was given 6 months in jail on the charges of theft, malicious damage and battery to run concurrently. On the other charges of intimidation, assault, battery and threats he was given a total of 3 years.
He was arrested and charged for his abuse of two women in 2014 and had threatened to “chop off the head of one of them.”
Elick, who has a long list of convictions dating back to 1995 involving battery, malicious damage, threats and assault on a female, asked the court to “forgive him” since he was an “abused child” and raised without a father.
However, he thought the Magistrate’s sentence was too harsh and he appealed the matter.
The justices at the appeal court were not amused.
“You intended to make her worthless…worse than a dog at the way you treated her, you stripped her of her dignity putting her naked in the road. People don’t even treat their dogs in such inhumane ways as you did to her. They charged you under the “Small Charges Act” the police let you out,” the Chief Justice told Elick in relation to the assault on his female victim.
She continued, “We see a culture of violence from you against women dating way back and this is despicable and woeful. Your aim was to make her an object. Women are not objects of a man’s desire…you are just lucky. You have contempt for women and now you come crying in court for leniency. We are minded to up the sentence. Women are not your footstool or your chairs. You have a pattern; you are angry and need to control yourself. The way you assaulted the women is very serious and reflects an attitude in the society.”
The justices then increased the sentence of threats to 2 years but since the maximum sentence for battery is one year and the magistrate gave him two years, they decreased it to one year and affirmed the rest of the magistrate’s decision.
“Our hands are tired…you have gotten away with your heinous threats and crimes against women, respect your girls and boys and respect will come to you as well,” the judges told him.
Elick responded, “Thanks and God bless you all.”
“God bless you also,” the justices replied.
It is not only in Dominica but especially in the black community; there are men who have no respect towards a woman –I know the difference.
My son’s father and I were in and out of relationship through 31 years, we never broke up with a fight, and neither did he ever raise his voice to me when we were together–we were just not meant to be together physically –God’s Will be done–he is from Grenada
But I came to be in a “correspondence relationship” with a man from Dominica, thanks to God that he lives on the other side of the World from me, because I might have ended up with a man who is a women abuser, I know it because of the “verbal abuse” which he used against me, through our correspondence, whenever I had a different opinion about a certain subject.
If a man does not know respect towards women it will always boil down to both verbal and physical abuse; my ladies out there, learn to watch the attitude of a man before you start to go with him.
Man has refuse to evolve from the Animal mind that has continue to entrap him, his belief in patriarch, has left him curling towards perpetual darkness of not knowing. His destructive mind continues to leave him wanting in ignorance, he sees the Woman as a thing , his lack of respect for the Woman, his Mother, Sister, Aunty, Wife and canal lover, makes him the Animal that he is. In ancient times , Wisdom use to be represented by a Woman, today, Women are the backbone of spirituality, with Men in the forefront believing in what they are not. Woman, the nurturer of man from cradle to grave, deserve to be looked at in respect and truth , not only between the covers.
I find it interesting as a culture the people of Dominica are so accepting of this type of abuse. They ate conditioned. Its like where I’m from black america …we ignore and sweep u der the rug abuse in any form….people of color are good at pretending to be OK. …just look u see 1k comments on a story that mentions the PM…but release a story about a man going to prison for domestic assault….hmmmmmm no one has anything to say! This society enables abusers! Its sickening because people of color do this all around the world.
Angel Eyes
”People of color”?
who you referring to so ?
Correct yourself .
@Angel eyez
I have trouble seeing your point about this article. What does what is written about the abuse of women have to do with what is written about the Prime Minister of Dominica?
I think he’s just comparing the fact that there are more comments re politics than abuse. That’s how I saw it, which is very true. People speak more on politics than important things like abuse, cancer and those kind of things. Just sad I guess.
These sentencing guidelines need to be upgraded to reflect the 21st century. How can a person who has a history of abusing women get such a low sentence? And to use the argument about you were abused as a child is ridiculous. I was abused as a child. My grandmother poisoned me and tried to hang my brother; after my brother and I went to live with her after our mother died. And because I was abused, I made a promise and a concerted effort not to abuse anyone, especially a woman, but animals like you who behave like wild animals in the hills deserve no mercy. You should have been caged and should have gotten at least 10 years in jail. How ironic that you talk about harsh punish that you have received when you doled out barbaric punishment to a woman who supposed to be your queen. I would like to see the punishment of castration handed out to your type; I would not even allow myself to classify you as a person. Vermins like you don’t deserve that classification; you are despicable.
There is a sad culture of violence against women and girls in Dominica. Some men need to learn to control their anger and keep their hands and harsh words to themselves. You want a women to stay with you out of love; not out of fear.
Peace
That’s absolutely true, but what amazes me is , the way some women accept such treatment as the norm .
I once had a very difficult case as a police officer and, without going into detail , the victim
told me point blank , that she is not coming to no court , that’s her man .
Sad, sad sad .