Dancehall star Mavado appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday to answer to charges of assault and malicious destruction of property.
Mavado, whose real name is David Brooks, was arrested and charged last year summer for allegedly assaulting a man, Henry Cunningham, and his son, Oshane Cunningham, in St. James.
Both men, who took the stand yesterday in court, are the only witnesses in the case. According to the father, Mavado and his entourage attacked him and his son in what appears to be a case of road rage.
According to Henry Cunningham, on n July 22 last year, he was driving his white Toyota Camry motorcar along the Belmont main road in St. James, when he encountered Mavado and members of his entourage driving the opposite direction. Cunningham said he pulled close to the road’s embankment to allow the traffic to pass. However, a member of Brooks’ entourage approached him and ordered him to move further off the road.
Henry said an argument developed before he was attacked and severely beaten by members of the artiste entourage. The complainant then said Mavado used his Range Rover SUV to trap him in between the two vehicles injuring him for which he had to go to the hospital.
Martyn Thomas, the attorney representing Mavado, fired back stating that Cunningham is lying. Thomas argued why the complainant did not simply leave the scene before any conflict could escalate. “Drive go where … they were on my side of the road, Where me a go drive? … through the car dem?” Cunningham replied.
Oshane Cunningham also gave a similar account of the incident.
“You nah reverse down your car? All right, watch what going happen,” the son said. “He was just driving down like he was passing, then when he reached down to the side of our car, he locked the wheel into the door – the wheel was just squeezing the door, and my father couldn’t move,” Oshane added.
Mavado is schedule to return to court on March 13th.
