Ex-Girlfriend Charged with Grievous Harm

Alejandro Cowo

Fifty-two-year-old Richard Ellis reported to police that he was stabbed multiple times in the face on Thursday morning just before nine. He reported that a woman and two men attacked him when he visited a house he shared with the woman. The woman, thirty-seven-year-old Tanesia Payne, appeared unrepresented before the court today to answer to charges of grievous harm and use of deadly means of harm. No plea was taken and Payne was released on five thousand dollar bail plus one surety of the same amount. She was ordered to stay away from Ellis and his family members, as well as report to the police station twice a week. ASP Alejandro Cowo tells us more about the stabbing incident.

ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Belize City

“What police gathered so far is that Richard Ellis had visited a house on Mahogany Street where he was living with a female. As a result, a dispute happened there where he was attacked by several persons and he sustained those injuries. He was transported to the hospital where he was admitted and later released. His injuries were classified as grievous harm. Based on that, police conducted an investigation which led to the detention of the female Tanisha Payne and she was subsequently arrested and charged for the crime of grievous harm. There were two other male persons who were inside the building along with Payne and police are still looking for two other persons to be dealt with. It was a family dispute between the couple.”