MAVADO court case delayed; seeks mediation instead of trial

David Brooks, better known as Jamaican dancehall deejay MAVADO, will return to court on 29 September after his attorney filed an application for the matter to be referred to mediation instead of a trial.

Brooks appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday to answer to charges of “assault and malicious destruction of property”.

The artist’s attorney, Martyn Thomas, filed the mediation application - a form of alternative dispute resolution - before resident magistrate Coralin Tie.

According to the Jamaica Observer, Tie has postponed her judgement on the application until a full medical report is available.

The court heard that on 22 July, the complainant and his son were in a Toyota Camry along the Belmont main road when they came upon a long line of traffic and pulled off the road, which was dug up.

It was alleged that a man went to the driver's door, slapped the man in his face and then kicked him in the groin.

It was further alleged that Brooks then drove up in a black Range Rover SUV and told the complainant to move out of the way as he was not going to drive his vehicle over the stones, but the complainant refused.

Brooks, it was alleged, used the wheel of his vehicle to squeeze the man between his car door and the car, causing swelling to his foot and a cut to his shoulder. Damaged to the vehicle was estimated at JMD$25,000 (£182).

MAVADO recently got his US visa granted and is due to make an appearance on 4 September at the inaugural Reggae Rhythm & Blues Festival where he will join BEENIE MAN, TARRUS RILEY and MACHEL MONTANO.