Two women who were charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and unlawful wounding, respectively, appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday to answer the charges.

They are Michelle Lindsay, charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and Suzette Lyons, charged with unlawful wounding.

Allegations are that Lindsay had attacked Lyons causing bruises to her elbow.

In addressing the court, Lyons who had rented a room from Lindsay's common-law husband, 'Barry', said on the day in question, he came to her quarrelling that someone had used a pail of water he had placed at the back of the house.

Lyons added that she had not use the water. However, a heated argument developed between both parties leading to 'Barry' giving her a notice to leave the house. Lyons added that Lindsay then got involved in the argument and attacked her. She said 'Barry' also seized a hammer and threatened to hit her in the face, after which she grabbed a machete in her defence. Lyons told the court that Lindsay got injured when she grabbed onto the blade of the machete.

Lindsay's side of the story was that Lyons attacked her after she came to ask what the argument between 'Barry' and Lyons was about. She said she held onto the machete that was drawn by Lyons, who purposely dragged the weapon from her grip with the intention that it would cut her, after the altercation got heated.

Resident Magistrate Glen Brown soon had to stop both women from speaking as they were on the brink of arguing in the courtroom. RM Brown said both women, mothering seven children in total, should be striving to set better conflict resolution examples for their children as they were 'behaving like two sketels.'