Maduro finally confesses to beating over wife

Right at the door of his trial, John Maduro this week retracted his not guilty plea and confessed to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and being armed with a machete while at the government’s Central Administration Complex in Road Town.

He reportedly attacked one of his wife’s co-workers, Derrick Brathwaite. Maduro believed that the man had touched his wife inappropriately.

While he apologised to the court and to the complainant in the matter, Maduro asked Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards for leniency.

“I truly realise that I have a problem with my anger,” Maduro declared.

His attorney Ayodeji Bernard from Maximea and Co Law Chambers told the court that Maduro – upon acknowledging his anger issues, has been receiving counselling.

In offering mitigation for her client, the defence attorney lobbied for a non-custodial sentence.

“There is no overwhelming evidence that would suggest that he is likely to commit a similar offence,” the defence attorney told the court yesterday, May 10.

She therefore asked the court to ‘exercise discretion’ and take a more ‘rehabilitative and restorative justice’ approach when sentencing Maduro.

Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards is expected to carry out sentencing on May 23.

In the meantime, reports were that Maduro’s wife had a conversation with the complainant at her workplace in the Central Administration Complex on the morning of April 27, 2015.

The conversation was in relation to the wife’s claim that the complainant had touched her inappropriately.

The conversation ended and the complainant in the case returned to his work station.

Some time later, some one called him, and he went to the person in another section of his workplace.

When the complainant reached the doorway, he reportedly was greeted with a facial punch from Maduro.

Maduro then reportedly removed a machete from his waist-band. But some of the complainant’s co-workers wrestled the weapon away from him.

The matter was reported to the police and Maduro was charged.