Case of woman in bloody Facebook beating in court

THE charges against a man arising out of a woman being physically abused, as seen in a video posted last week on social media sites, came up for hearing yesterday before a magistrate in San Fernando yesterday.

Avalon Callender, 31, of Tomato Drive, Diego Martin, was arrested last Thursday, three days after the video was posted.

Senior magistrate Cherril-Ann Antoine, presiding in the San Fernando Magistrates' Court, read the charge against Callender that on Tuesday, at SS Erin Road, near Debe, he took and carried away Elizabeth Salazar, 19, against her will.

A second charge alleged that he wounded Salazar with intent to do her grievous bodily harm.

Antoine told Callender the charges were laid indictably and he was not called upon to plead.

Callender was unrepresented by an attorney.

Police prosecutor Cleyon Seedan told Antoine that since Callender's arrest on Thursday, police have had grave difficulties in tracing his criminal record. She refused bail and remanded him into custody to reappear tomorrow (Wednesday). However, Callender was told he could apply to a judge in chambers for bail.

The social media video went viral throughout last week, In it the alleged victim is seen bleeding and eventually lying on the floor.

After his appearance yesterday, the police issued a media release which said that the Special Operations Response Team, in conjunction with the San Fernando CID, arrested Callender in Gasparillo.

PC Nicholas Gervais of the San Fernando CID laid the charges.