The case brought against dancehall star David 'Mavado' Brooks for assault and malicious destruction of property started in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday and is slated to continue next Tuesday.
Brooks was arrested and charged in relation to an incident on July 22, 2011, in which it is alleged that he and members of his entourage assaulted Henry Cunningham and his son Oshane, and did damage to their car.
Both father and son gave testimony before Resident Magistrate (RM) Wilson Smith declaring that they were attacked and injured in what appeared to have been a case of road rage.
The elder Cunningham testified that on the date of the alleged incident, he was driving along the Belmont main road when he encountered members of Brooks' entourage driving in a line of traffic in the opposite direction.
Cunningham said that 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.
The complainant said an argument developed and a member of the entourage attacked him with a machete while others threw stones at him. Following that exchange, it is said that Brooks used his Range Rover van to pin Cunningham between the two vehicles, causing injuries that required medical attention.
On cross-examination, Brooks' attorney, Martyn Thomas, suggested that the events of that evening did not transpire as the Cunninghams had reported. He also questioned 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," Cunningham told attorney Thomas. "Where me a go drive? ... through the car dem?"
In his time on the witness stand, Oshane Cunningham backed up his father's account of the incident. He told the court that during the altercation, Brooks came out of his jeep and confronted his father before re-entering his vehicle and drove it into their car, damaging it and injuring his father.
"You nah reverse down your car? All right, watch what going happen," the younger Cunningham claimed Brooks 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."
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