‘Powerful’ landlord threatens to get accused tenant deported, court hears
St Vincent native Devye Nicholson told the court that her former landlord — who she claims is ‘well-connected’ in the territory — threatened to cause her to lose her employment and subsequently deported over a tussle.
This tussle resulted in Nicholson being charged with common assault and threatening language.
Her matter went to a trial after she pleaded not guilty to the offences which allegedly occurred on July 28, 2018.
Closed of Crown’s case
On Tuesday, the Crown wrapped up its case against Nicholson when it called its final witness — the investigating officer, Phillip Matthias.
He testified that he was stationed at the Road Town Police Station on the day in question when he was made aware of a report of an assault in Baughers Bay.
Upon arrival, he said, he met the complainant — the landlord — along with her husband on the scene. The complainant told him of the alleged assault, and he noticed that she had a red substance which appeared to be blood on her right knee, elbow, arm and palm.
Officer Matthias proceeded to capture photos of those suspected injuries on his smartphone, Officer Matthias told the court.
The officer said the complainant (the landlord) said Nicholson beat and choked her with a hose.
According to Officer Matthias, the landlord had also claimed that Nicholson told her: ‘How you get so f***** miserable? I’m going to break your f***** neck’.
Officer Matthias said he visited the second floor of the apartment building, where Nicholson lived with her children. However, she was not home.
Her children informed him that she had visited a laundry where she was subsequently met and invited to the Road Town Police Station for an interview, to which she complied.
Officer Matthias said there were no cameras installed on the property, and there were no eyewitnesses to the incident.
Conflicting reports
The Police officer testified that Nicholson said she was at her home on the day in question cleaning her apartment and the verandah where the landlord’s cat had urinated.
While there, the landlord came from upstairs and after speaking to the accused to cease from using the cleaning detergents as it would affect her plants on the ground floor. The two then began to tussle over the hose.
During the tussle, Nicholas allegedly proceeded to release her end of the hose to prevent her from falling which, in turn, resulted in the landlord falling to the ground. The landlord had to seek medical attention for her injuries; the officer told the court.
Denial
Nicholson, who is employed in the medical profession also chose to give evidence in her own defence. She testified that she never touched or choked the landlord, nor did she threatened her.
She said the injuries the landlord sustained happened after tumbling down the stairs.
I am powerful
She said the landlord told her that she was a member of a prominent family in the British Virgin Islands and that she had influence throughout the territory.
The accused woman further said the landlord told her that she could cause her to become unemployed, and sent out of the BVI as she was the sister of a well-known legislator.
Nicholson said it was then that the landlord concocted the story that she (Nicholson) used assaulted and used threatening words to her.
Nicholson then proceeded to cry in court, stating that she was evicted from her apartment and that the landlord came to her job to spread lies about her. She said her lawyer Valerie Stephens-Gordon had to write the landlord a letter to put a stop to the harassment.
“I was really shaken up. Losing a job on lies is not fair,” she said. However, she did not lose her employment.
The matter is adjourned to March 3.
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So why isnt the landlord named? Political interference?
Her name isn’t posted because she is powerful, allegedly.
That is exactly what it is. I don’t give a darn about who she is connected to. Only here on this Island that is on stilts they can get away with the foolishness.
These STUPID remarks from my fellow BVIslanders does really rile me up. Ask/order the tenant to leave and rest the matter down. Power is sometimes dangerous.
Feel the same way. I am so tired of these people with the stupidness. Oh, before the if you don’t like it comments start about I BARNNnnnn yahhhh and you can leave, I was also born and raised here. Powerful what? Powerful between legs I guess that is as powerful as the landlord going to be.
I feel the same way, but I can smell a lie in this story. That miserable tenant would say anything to get off the hook.
Exactly, if you are dissatisfy with the tenant, have her evicted and call it a day. All this foolishness about powerful land lord and going to people job complaining was just plain out stupid. No matter how much power you got or think you got, it will be stripped away sooner or later. When the grim reaper appears, he don’t want to hear about how much power and powerful you are.That can’t save you.
How ayo could only mention one person name? Is it because she is not from here? Is this landlord the sister of the short lady with the bag?
The short lady with the bag is not a skelton. Strupeeeees.
No, it is not the short lady with the bag sister. The Landlady is … in Baughers Bay
I guess she got perks as being related to a powerful family. Lady please, with your ignorant self. Your own kind is not renting from you. You dirty landlords is making your money off the backs of the outside people. Honestly, it is the outside people that is keeping you all ignorant people afloat. Your own is not going to rent your sub par apartments for 1, 300 a month.
Is it the sister of Mr Skelton?
Well name the landlord. It is sad the kind of things some landlords are allowed to get away with. There is one up the gut who refuse to give back many tenants their security deposit, and please keep in mind the tenants didn’t damage anything in her apartments, but she is so wicked that she never give back deposits. That’s the kind of evil nonsense that landlords are allowed to carry on with
The security deposits are used to bring the apartment back to rentable condition after you all trash the place. Your little deposits can’t even cover the cost to repair and replace the messes you leave behind. I won’t even mention the utility bills you also leave behind for the landlord to pay.
To the extent some or most of a deposit has to be retained is clearly understood and accepted.
But when you leave a place just as you meet it, equaky clean except for normal wear of paint, no landlord should be unreasonable wirh porr struggling people and keep their money.
A deposit in the BVI is a give away to a landlord. It is never returned under any circumstances.
Left in Josiah’s bay was an immaculate apartment, and yet those greedy people refused to give back what was not theirs.
God’s comdemnation on them.
You sound like a real @$$ you are no better than the wicked witch and you’re looking excuse for wickedness from landlords LOL
This landlord name need blasting all over the media!
I would love to meet her and whoever her brother is and blast them MS!
Tell her deport me!
These tola landlords no easy . I am presently waiting on my security deposit for 2 weeks now. As i speak he called my other half to show him condoms and underwear. Please let them no i am a big woman. I suffered two yrs in his place after irma with no remorse. Wickedness dont last for long. Today for me today for him.
I hope you get back your deposit. I never got mine back from the wicked old witch, I am so sorry her husband died and left her with everything, Edgar was a nice man but that J0 ¥ is one evil garrot
Some of you tenants want to act as if the house belongs to you. The landlords have to protect themselves.
Yeah right!!! She bring that mess to me, I will give her one right hook in her kisser. Dumb fool threatening people with the nonsense about she know powerful people. Name the powerful people B.
Why St. Vincent natives always in problems in the BVI?
That is a bias thing to say. What about the I barnn ya locals that is always in problems. Oh, I forgot, the locals cover up their nasty inept disgusting behavior and want to put everyone else on blast to cover up their incompetence.
It don’t have any jobs in St. Vincent? Is anyone left in St. Vincent? You all everywhere like continental cockroaches.
Ohhhhhh, Mr. Tommy boy, and I can attest to this, the US is filled with people from Tortola like cockroaches also. Most of the people from Tortola would lie and say they are from St.Thomas when you ask them where they are from. I see you as being so damn bias towards the people of St. Vincent. This is why I would prefer to live in the US. You go to Brooklyn, there is Caribbean people from every Island including Tortola living in Brooklyn and other boroughs in the City.
Honestly I’d be ashamed to say I’m form the BVI around anyone overseas who actually lived in the BVI for considerable length of time.
The predatory behaviour of many of the elements there is horrendous. Many places aren’t different, but really it’s only made anyone good and decent in the territory have to also be predatory to survive.
I guess you are one of those who think the island is a continent huh?. You should worry about the cockroaches in your kitchen and the ones you birthed, if such a wretch could.
Thats why we need consumer protection
Since you are a member of a powerful family why stoop to the level of being a slum lord. Why involve the woman job in this. You come to my job with the ignorant unprofessional behavior, I would have beat your A’**. Typical I born here low class Tortola people.
East, West, North and South, landlords, both local and not are thieves, period!
They and all businesses operating in this territory get away with theivery and sucking of the public to the highest degree.
Noone should be denied their deposit when the premises are left in good to execellt condition. Yet, your deposit is theirs never to be regained. Anyone else does that, they would be considered hudlums. They do it, they are called business people.
Hence, business people of this territory have a license to steal, rob and illegitimately and dishonsetly disenfranchise epople of the money.
They will one day lose quadruple what they dishonestly steal from people in medical and other expenses that they would not have encoured had they been honest with people’s money.
Business in the terroitory is legal robbery.
Sooo, she know or is related to people who is powerful eh? So she is throwing around her power status. The way these Tortola people intimidate and treat outsiders is at a all time high. And I firmly believe if what the landlord said is true, she would have used her power full people to set the immigration on the woman and have her deported if she is not straight. Miss. Watch her.
So because she’s so call powerful her name isn’t posted bs.
Is going to be getting some serious side eye shade. Here she go stepping to the woman job. The woman job has nothing to do with what went on. So you go to someone’s job to get them fired.See the evil underhanded things these people do here? Lady, if you had come to my workplace with with the nonsense, I would have beaten your behind to the end of the curb.
Deyve ain’t no saint either. As my grandmother used to say “two sixes butt up”.
I would have tear her behind up for coming to my job, you do that you are messing with my bread and butter. Some bosses don’t care, they will fire you for bringing drama to the job even if it is not your fault.
Keep out the court house if you don’t want your dirty business made known to john public
I sorry s*****l didnt buss her a**e
So what should the lady use to clean the place if the Land Lord’s cat s**t up the place. landlord needs to train her pus not to s**t up the place.
@ Tom
Is the same Vincy ppl with trade run came to Assist after God hit alyo ms with Irma….. I see why Irma hit!!! Y’all have some bad f***ing mind …… go get the lazy men off the blocks to come and do the hard work outsider would do……. go nyam dirty pudding
On another website the land lord said she have influence over the police and the police will believe anything she tell them. Wow, this lady is evil and dangerous. Now you see why people here don’t F**k with the police because of people like her.
Did half of the people leaving a comment actually read the article? The tenant was cleaning up the landlady cats mess off her balcony. The landlady need to stop being an a**e. If the tenant gets charged with anything it would be a travesty of justice as there is too much doubt.
Don’t worry the landlady will tell satan to get out of h**l she have arrived
I am a born and raised BVI Islander and honestly my people sometimes make me sick.
All I would like to say is this. You land lady who behave so classless and Ghetto, if you did tell your tenant about your brother who is a legislator you make your brother look very bad. Why would a woman who have some kind of self worth and class put yourself in a position to have that kind of encounter with a tenant.
I have been a land lady for 14 years and I have encountered all kind of circumstances with tenants. I even went through court for two years with a police officer who refused to pay me rent for five months. It was not about the money but the principle.
Remember in the BVI there are bad land lords and ladies just like there is bad tenants. Looking at this story, there seem to have been ongoing issues between both the landlady and the tenant. There is more to it than just this incident. Things like these don’t just happen. Overall it is a classless situation that should have been definitely handled better on behalf of the landlady.
Character says it all. Two sides of a story. This time. Believe the Islander. Islanders have allowed questionable characters to work in their country. So sad that the islanders are now feeling the result of allowing these people to work here.
This newspaper is very bias. You’re stating news and not the landlord’s name. WoW! This only proves the tennant is right and believable.