Woman spat, kicked and racially abused police - court told
A Magistrates' Court trial began yesterday for a woman accused of spitting, kicking and shouting racial abuse at police outside Ice Queen.Latoya Simons, 28, of Brooklyn Lane, in Pembroke, has denied assaulting a police officer causing bodily harm and violently resisting arrest during an incident on Monday.She has also denied using offensive words including telling Pc Chaquita Simmons “F**k you b*tch. F**k the police and burn motherf**kers” and calling Pc Oswin Pereira an “Indian motherf**ker”.She was represented by lawyer Larry Scott, who maintained someone else, rather than his client, had initially cursed at the officers. He also said Ms Simons only began kicking and acting in an aggressive manner after she was Captor incapacitant sprayed.Pc Simmons told the court she was in an unmarked police vehicle in the parking lot of Ice Queen in Paget around 3.30am when she saw a beige car obstructing the roadway.Pc Simmons and partner Pc Shem Obeius, asked Ms Simons who was driving the car to move it.“As we drove off I heard the defendant shout out ‘a**holes'. There was no other reason outside asking her to move that would warrant that remark.”Both officers got out of the car to confront Ms Simons about her language and Pc Obeius called out to her three to four times to turn around.But Ms Simons continued walking away, said Pc Simmons, who felt the language was disrespectful towards them.While talking with Ms Smith, the officer said she was cursed at and told: “F**k you b*tch. F**k the police and burn motherf**kers”.The officers decided not to arrest the defendant in the vicinity of the fast food restaurant, where there was a growing line of patrons, and waited for the defendant in the parking lot.When Ms Simons returned to her car the officers informed her she was being arrested for using offensive words.The female officer struggled to put the defendant in handcuffs and Pc Pereira, who observed what happened from a distance, came to her aid.Ms Simons allegedly spat in both the officers faces and yelled racial abuse towards Pc Pereira.She is said to have kicked and behaved in a violent manner while being placed in the police car and Pc Simmons said she was forced to deploy Captor spray to restrain the defendant.The officer told the court she sustained an injury to the chest wall after being assaulted by Ms Simons and needed treatment at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.Pc Pereira also gave evidence in yesterday's trial and said he heard Ms Simons say “something like ‘let me go you Indian motherf**ker'” and “something to the effect of ‘your job is done'”.During cross examination Mr Scott alleged the officers were in plain clothes on the night in question and suggested his client didn't know they were police.But both Pc Simmons and Pc Pereira said they were dressed in uniform.Mr Scott also alleged his client only acted out after she was Captor sprayed. “She was spitting and trying to get away because of what Captor spray does to her.”The case continues before Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner this morning.