By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN took the stand yesterday and described in detail how North Abaco MP Kirk Cornish allegedly sexually assaulted her twice, as the rape trial against him resumed.

In calm but firm testimony, the complainant recounted two separate incidents of assault, including one in which Cornish allegedly pinned her down, raped her, and spat on her face. She further claimed he threatened to “put a bullet” in her head during a violent altercation months earlier.

The trial, which had been delayed after a previous jury was dismissed because a juror was related to FNM leader Michael Pintard, has now proceeded with a new jury of eight women and one man, hearing the case before Justice Renae McKay.

Before the complainant’s testimony, Sergeant Mario Rahming testified that he collected her light blue Samsung Galaxy A23 and extracted photos from the phone, which were submitted as evidence.

While the officer acknowledged the defence attorney Tai Pinder-Mackey’s suggestion that phone cameras’ settings and lighting could alter images, he told prosecutor Timothy Bailey that the photos did not appear doctored.

The complainant testified that she had lived in Cooper’s Town, Abaco, most of her life. She said she had known Cornish for around 36 years but claimed they only began dating in 2020. She said the relationship ended in March 2023, and alleged that Cornish first physically assaulted her in November 2022.

She recounted that on the evening of January 20, 2023, while sitting in Cornish’s vehicle in Cooper’s Town, a conversation between them turned hostile.

She claimed that Cornish flew into a rage when she didn’t say what he wanted during a phone call with a friend, stabbing her in the eye with his fingers three to four times and choking her. After the attack, she claimed Cornish drove her to a fishing area and told her, “I should just take a bullet and put it through your head right now,” before eventually dropping her home.

The complainant said she took photos of herself following this incident, which were shown in court. She testified that the images displayed a bruise to her right eye and marks on her neck from where Cornish’s nails allegedly dug into her skin.

On March 25, 2023, she claimed she attended a swearing-in ceremony for a new commissioner with Cornish. That evening, while they were staying at an Airbnb in Stapleton, she said Cornish got angry over something she said in a phone call. According to her, he grabbed a knife, held it to her throat, and pinned her down. She testified that after she asked him to stop, Cornish eventually released her but later entered the bedroom, removed her underwear, and raped her. She also alleged that Cornish spat on her face afterwards.

The complainant further testified that on April 4, 2023, she was on a phone call at her Cooper’s Town residence when Cornish knocked on her door. She said that although she was panicked, she let him in to avoid a scene. She alleged that once inside, Cornish locked the door, forced her into the bedroom, and raped her again, threatening to break her legs when she resisted. She claimed he said, “You don’t want a relationship, you want the monster. This is what you got.”

Following the alleged assaults, she reported the incidents to police in Freeport, Grand Bahama, on April 7 2023. Under questioning from Mr Bailey, she explained that she didn’t report the incidents earlier because they were dating and, after their break-up, she was afraid of Cornish’s threats.

The complainant also testified that Cornish regularly took her phone and deleted the photos she had taken after the first alleged assault, unaware they had been backed up.

Her testimony will continue today. In addition to Mrs Pinder-Mackey, Linique Murphy-Grant also represents Mr Cornish.