Woman who miscarried details alleged physical abuse from ex

A Virgin Gorda man who reportedly violated a protection order placed against him for an assault which resulted in his then partner losing her unborn child will know his fate on December 8.

Andy Francis was on trial in the Magistrate’s Court on Monday for a breach of a protection order and assault causing actual bodily harm, separate from the incident which resulted in the protection order.

The complainant in the matter — a resident of Fat Hog’s Bay — was the prosecution’s chief witness in the trial.

She told the court that on July 11, 2021, Francis turned up at her apartment demanding for her to take him to the ferry dock on Beef Island and said he would not leave the complex until she complied.

The complainant noted his interaction with her was a breach of a protection order she took out against him back in February for an incident in December of last year when he allegedly stomped on her and she had a miscarriage.

The alleged assault victim told the court she asked Francis to leave but he did not comply with her request. She further said she told Francis she was going to talk to her friend over the phone and Francis punched her in the mouth when she tried to walk away. She told the court the punch was forceful enough to burst her upper lip.

She then told the court her work phone started to ring and when she went to answer it, the accused entered the house, grabbed the device, and answered it.

Bite into a nerve

She said she tried grabbing the phone from his hand but he bit her on the right wrist. The woman further said she had to go to the hospital for the bite as the defendant had bitten a nerve.

In trying to retrieve the phone, the complainant said she bit the defendant on the right side of his upper back and kept hitting him. However, she noticed it was not having the desired effect so she gave up. The woman said the accused man then left the house with her work phone.

She told the court she got dressed and went to the East End Police Station to report the issue. The court was told that while on her way to the station, the complainant said she passed Francis on the road and he threw the phone in front the car and she had to swerve to avoid crushing the device.

The second witness

The prosecution’s second witness was a police officer attached to the Beat and Patrol Unit at the East End Police Station, Lydia Bishop. Bishop told the court she became aware of the incident when the alleged assault victim came to the police station to report the matter.

She said she took photos of the bruises on the woman then signed a police-issued medical form for her to get medical treatment at the Dr D. Orlando Smith Hospital.

The officer noted that throughout the interaction, the reported assault victim seemed distraught and frightened.

Francis appeared before the court via Zoom at the Her Majesty Prison and he was unrepresented. Throughout the proceedings, he maintained that the woman was lying about what really happened and he could not believe after being together for more than a year, this would be the outcome. He also stated he has been remanded in prison for close to six months.