For those crimes, he was charged with attempted murder, inflicting grievous bodily harm and damaging property. The attempted murder charge was dropped, but Mr. Matthew could face a maximum of life plus ten years in prison for the two other charges.  

According to the Crown, Mr. Matthew and his girlfriend had an argument after he saw another man in her vehicle. She asked Mr. Matthew to remove his things from their residence, and when the two were in her white Hyundai he threatened her, prosecutors said.

Mr. Matthew then allegedly punched her on the right side of her face while she was driving. After she stopped and fled the car, Mr. Matthew threw the vehicle into reverse, backing into a Jeep Cherokee behind him, damaging it and his girlfriend’s car, according to the Crown.

He left the car and followed his girlfriend outside, punching her three or four times, Ms. Scatliffe said. A passerby and two police officers tried to restrain the enraged man, but he allegedly was able to kick her an additional time before they controlled him. His former girlfriend spent three days in the hospital with injuries to her eye and cheek as well as her feet, which were cut on glass broken by the car accident, the prosecutor said.

At the time of his arrest Mr. Matthew blamed the attack on jealous rage.

“‘Officer, I’m not scared to go to jail. She hurt me; it was a crime of passion,’” the defendant said, according to Ms. Scatliffe.

In making recommendations to Justice Indra Hariprashad-Charles about the sentence, the prosecutor listed seven cases where defendants faced assault charges. They received jail terms of two to 20 years, she said.

The public nature of the domestic dispute should be taken into account during sentencing, the prosecutor added.

“This was done at a public place on a public road at rush hour. Other people were present at the time,” Ms. Scatliffe said.

Herbert McKenzie, Mr. Matthew’s lawyer, said his client was motivated by jealousy. Mr. Matthew didn’t realise the car was in reverse and didn’t mean to damage the property, the lawyer said. He also asked the court to show leniency due to his client’s age, previously clean criminal record and the spontaneous nature of the crime.

Mr. Matthew told the court that he loved his girlfriend and had never been loved as a child. He said he was overcome by his anger.

“I’m really sorry for what I did,” he said. “I never meant to do that.”

The full article appears in the March 4, 2010 issue.