Update | St Catherine woman pleads guilty over false firearm claim against man during dispute
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She is to be sentenced on July 13.
A 45-year-old St Catherine woman was remanded on Friday in the parish court after pleading guilty to a charge of creating public mischief for falsely reporting to the police that a man had assaulted her while armed with a gun during a dispute.
Stephanie Grant, of Lauriston, Spanish Town, appeared before Acting Senior Parish Court Judge Janelle Nelson-Gayle in the St Catherine Parish Court, where she admitted to the offence.
Grant was remanded for sentencing on July 13.
During the proceedings, the judge expressed concern over the false report and ordered that Grant be fingerprinted.
The court also heard that the maximum fine for the offence of creating public mischief is $3 million.
According to the clerk of court, Grant reported to the police in June that during a dispute at her home, a man assaulted her while in possession of an illegal firearm.
Based on her report, the man, Chadwick Powell, was arrested and charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and assault occasioning bodily harm.
However, when the matter came before the court on Tuesday, Grant admitted that she did not tell the truth about the weapon in question and later gave a statement to the police acknowledging her actions.
She told the court that the weapon in question was actually a knife and not a firearm.
Following the development in court on Tuesday, Powell was granted bail in his own recognisance.
He was originally charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and assault occasioning bodily harm.
Arising from the development, the weapon charge was dropped.
Powell is scheduled to return to court on September 8 on the assault charge.
The judge also directed the police to charge the woman arising from the development in the case.
Following an investigation, she was arrested and charged with creating public mischief.
Grant was not represented by an attorney when she appeared before the court on Friday.
- Rasbert Turner
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