Assault case against Spanish Town mayor resolved through mediation

ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica – The assault case against Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott was dismissed in the Balaclava Criminal Court in St Elizabeth on Tuesday after the matter was successfully resolved through mediation.Scott had been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and malicious destruction of property arising from an incident at a polling station during the September 3, 2025 parliamentary election.The allegations stemmed from a physical altercation at BB Coke High School in the St Elizabeth South Eastern constituency, where Scott was contesting the seat on behalf of the People's National Party (PNP).It was reported that a dispute developed over time limits at the polling station, during which Scott allegedly struck Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) election supervisor Julie Francis and damaged her eyeglasses.Scott had pleaded not guilty to the charges.His attorney, Charles Advoket Ganga-Singh, maintained throughout the proceedings that his client was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a mob and had subsequently filed a counter-report with the police.During an earlier court appearance, Senior Parish Court Judge Steve Stewart referred the matter to mediation after both parties agreed to pursue a resolution outside of a trial.When the case was called up on Tuesday, the court was informed that mediation had been completed successfully and that both parties had reached an agreement, resulting in the dismissal of the charges against Scott.Speaking following the ruling, Ganga-Singh said all parties were satisfied with the outcome and indicated that the matter should now be regarded as closed.