Investment Commission Program Manager Jailed for Domestic Violence, As Women Rights Lawyer Calls for His Immediate Dismissal
Paynesville: The Paynesville Magisterial Court has recently found the Program Director of the National Investment Commission (NIC) guilty for Domestic Violence and further sentenced him to 3months jail.
In the court January 17, 2023 ruling, Defendant Andrew Anderson was guilty of the crime of simple assault for beating Lorraine Dunn (his ex-wife) and the injury she suffered.
The Court ordered Anderson to be imprisoned at the Monrovia Central Prison for not more than 90 days, beginning January 18, 2023, and ending April 18, 2023; further ordering him to reinstate forthwith all medical costs incurred by his ex-wife.
“Due to the facts and Circumstances, this court determines that the Defendant in this proceeding is guilty of the crime of simple assault for beating Loraine for the injury she suffered”, the Court’s ruling emphasized.
Furthermore, the Court remained mute on other counts of the plaintiff’s complaint of menacing and disorderly conduct. “To which ruling of your honor, one of counsel for the State except in part as to the crime of Domestic Violence, Menacing and Disorderly Conduct as your honor remain mute on these other crimes,” the ruling noted.
Following the Court’s ruling,
Lorraine Rose Dunn, the ex-wife of Andrew Anderson, expressed joy and excitement as her quest for justice had yielded fruits.
In 2022, Lorraine sued her ex-husband for (domestic violence)
allegedly beating and injuring her on account of extra marital affairs.
She believes justice was served genuinely, based on the evidence and findings provided by both parties, even though she wasn’t certain about a positive outcome from the onset. “To be honest, I was in doubt, and I thought that I would not have gotten justice because we all know how our legal system is because people are influenced by those that are financially potent, so based on that, I was not sure of getting justice, but I’m happy that the guilty verdict came down on my ex-husband yesterday, and I’m satisfied,” Larraine Rose Dunn explained.
Lorraine further noted that her case gave her a vivid understanding that there is still honesty in the justice system of Liberia and that, despite who you are as an individual, you can get justice.
“To other women out there who feel that they can’t get justice because they don’t have the connection, finances, or influence, I just want to tell them that they should not stop fighting; one day they will get justice,” she alluded.
Moreover, she applauded everyone who stood with her in the process especially her legal counsel, represented by Human and Women Rights Lawyer Cllr. Margaret Nigba. “I will like to highly appreciate my two sisters I met on social media, Sister Esther David Yango, the Executive Director of the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSAL), and Sister Laureate Pop Karr of the Nation Civil Society Council of Liberia”.
Meanwhile, Women Rights Lawyer Cllr. Margaret M. Nigba has called for the immediate dismissal of Andrew Anderson.
According to cllr. Nigba, Andrew Anderson is an abuser, and as such, he should not be kept as a program manager at the National Investment Commission, which is a government entity.
It can be referenced that on October 24, 2022, Lorraine alarmed over the consistent physical and verbal abuses exhibited by Her ex-husband Andrew Anderson towards her.
Lorraine specifically referenced, among several others, the last incident when she went to pay a visit to her kids at his residence on Duport Road on Thursday, October 20, 2022, and she was unmercifully beaten by Anderson. As a result of the brutalization and the injury it caused, Larraine Rose Dunn said she had to visit the Good Will clinic in Fiamah Sinkor, where she spent about two (2) nights seeking medical attention.
However, Andrew Anderson denied the allegations when he was contacted and later held a press conference debunking the report, something that left the public with a huge curiosity about the factuality of Lorraine’s claims.
Howbeit, as she has been engaged in several cases with her ex-husband at the court, Larraine Dunn is expected to return to continue the custody case of their children, as she has not been allowed to see them.
“I’m appealing to everybody to join me in this fight; I need to see my children and I need to communicate with them, and I don’t have access to them, so that’s our next case,” she appealed.
