Kirk Cornish is charged with five counts for assault of girlfriend; He was remanded to BDOC until bail is approved
|
Click to Listen Now
|
A prosecutor has charged North Abaco MP Kirk Cornish on 5 counts centering on the alleged abuse of his former girlfriend. The first-time Member of Parliament who came to office in 2021 was arraigned in the Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning following months of swirling accusations and questioning.
Cornish is charged with counts of sexual assault, physical assault, and death threats.
He did not enter a plea, was denied bail, and remanded to the Bahamas Department of Corrections. His attorneys Owen Wells and Anthony McKinney made a mad dash to the Supreme Court seeking bail approval.
The night before his arraignment Cornish said “The truth will set me free,” proclaiming the allegations came as a result of “a break up that was manipulated and exploited for political reasons—and nothing more.”
What is Kirk Cornish charged with?
The 5-count charges returned by prosecutors on Wednesday include:
- Two counts of rape
- Two counts of assault
- One count of threats of death
Questions about Kirk Cornish’s conduct
The charges against Cornish were filed after months of police investigations and after he was questioned in April for the alleged claims. He was elected the Member of Parliament in September 2021 for North Abaco following the General Election and during his second year serving in the position, he has been dogged by the allegations about his conduct toward his girlfriend who appeared in the media to reveal the horrid details of their two year relationship. The woman Warduia Lightbourne said “…something has to be done because he needs help, and whatever route that takes, it has to be done. I didn’t do this to hurt him, I did this to help him.”
Cornish has been accused of choking her twice near unconsciousness, then poking her in the eye which he excused to be an accident. She alleged he even threatened to kill her family while she watched.
On March 24 while spending time in Nassau together, she said Cornish held a knife to her throat and attempted to stab her. Then on April 4, he ripped off her pants and underwear and forced himself on her. Before leaving the house, the MP said he came by to kill the family but ‘not enough of the family was in the yard.’
She then filed a police report on April 7.
Cornish was questioned by police in May and released as police continued their investigations.
Since the court filings, he has resigned as Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and remains the MP for North Abaco.
When will Cornish appear in court?
He will return to court on October 17 for a Voluntary bill of indictment and could face years in prison.
