Collins later asks the woman whether her statements to police following the man’s arrest in April were true.
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A judge in Florida is facing outrage after she jailed a domestic violence victim for three days because she didn’t show up to testify against her abuser. She told the victim’s advocate that she wanted to have the charges dropped and just move on with her life, WFTV reports. The wailing woman begs Collins to change her mind, saying she has to care for her son. Collins screams in footage of the court hearing in July, which was screened by a U.S. television station earlier this week.
When the woman mentioned her anxiety about the testimony, which would put her face-to-face with her abuser, Collins interrupted: “You think you’re going to have anxiety now?” Collins says. “You haven’t even seen anxiety”. “We had a jury-six people there- ready to try this [abuser], who has a prior criminal history of domestic violence”.
Video recorded in the courtroom shows an angry Judge Jerri Collins berating the sobbing victim.
Court documents say the victims husband strangled her while she was holding their one year old baby.
What do you think of the Florida Judge Jerri Collins and her sentencing of the domestic abuse victim?
“The victim’s decision to thwart the court process by refusing to cooperate, despite a properly issued subpoena for her to appear in court, triggered the State to pursue an Order to Show Cause against her, and the Court’s subsequent sentence”, the office said.
“And violating your court order did not do anything for you”, the judge responds. The victim has the option to appeal but since she’s already served her sentence for contempt of court, it won’t change what she’s gone through.
The State Attorney’s Office said the alleged abuser had received 16 days in jail for simple battery and was ordered to pay court costs.
The victim can be heard crying as bailiffs approach. “My anxiety is like, this is everyday for me”.
Advocacy groups in Florida have slammed the ruling, insisting it will severely impact the way this woman and other abuse victims interact with law enforcement.
The judge has since stood by her decision and refused to comment on the case.
Of note, Collins was appointed to the Seminole County Court by former Florida Governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, according to Ballotpedia.
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The judge did the right thing. She has now been re-elected to the bench several times. She has a child/children….oh, I guess that is supposed to “teach” her a lesson. Being in jail will not help in any way.
