Marc Wanis, a Canadian medical student studying in Antigua, will be imprisoned for seven days.
Wanis physically and verbally harassed his 20-year-old girlfriend, who was studying at the same university, in an episode described as “horrifying” by Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel.
The two had been dating for almost two years, according to the complainant, but their relationship soured when the defendant became verbally abusive.
Despite threatening her, she claims he never touched her until March 28, when he forced her to come to his house by threatening to expose photographs and videos of her.
When she arrived at his house, she was met with a disturbing series of events. Her companion then brandished a knife and proceeded to vandalise her goods, destroying her phone, severing her student ID, and inflicting physical abuse on her by biting her face and cutting her hand with the blade.
The young man then forced her to travel to a certain place, where he delivered humiliating orders requiring her to kneel and beg for mercy. He aggressively removed her headscarf, tossed it onto a tree branch, and menacingly threatened her life if she tried to collect it.
Following that, he led her to return to his house, after which she drove back to her own. After an hour, the defendant returned to her house and continued the assault by kicking, choking, and even cutting her hair.
The abuse reportedly extended inside her home, causing significant damage to valuables worth around $3000.
Despite the gravity of the situation, the victim waited a month before reporting the incident.
He was also fined approximately $5,000 for the property damage he caused the victim.
Wanis, 22, is a medical student at the American University of Antigua.
