Byderabo brawl: Gold miner jailed for 3 months, fined $100,000

The violent confrontation that erupted at Byderabo, Bartica, on Wednesday continues to unfold in the courts, with one of the participants sentenced to prison while others await further hearings.
Albert James, a 54-year-old gold miner of Four Miles Squatting Area, Bartica, appeared before Magistrate Teriq Mohamed at the Bartica Magistrate’s Courts on Friday, where he pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding 24-year-old excavator operator Alec Ault during the brawl.

James was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment and fined $100,000. The court further stipulated that should he fail to pay the fine, he would serve an additional six months in prison.
The charge was laid under Section 50 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 08:01, and his sentencing marks the first custodial penalty handed down among the eight persons now facing charges related to the incident.
The brawl has also led to ongoing legal proceedings involving Alec Ault, of Byderabo Road, Bartica, and 18-year-old Grace James.
Ault was arrested on the day of the confrontation and charged with assault causing actual bodily harm committed on Grace James, while Grace James was charged with unlawful wounding committed on Ault.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty and were released on bail, with Ault granted $10,000 and Grace James $20,000. Their matters have been adjourned to October 3, 2025, for continuation.
The Byderabo incident first came to public attention when five women, Evelyn Dalgetty, 47; Pauline Smith, 54; Alicia Ault, 26; Atalya Dalgetty, 22; and Serina Williams, 22, were charged with assault causing actual bodily harm against Grace James.
The women appeared at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where they all pleaded not guilty and were released on self-bail. Their cases are also set to continue on October 3, aligning with the matters involving Alec Ault and Grace James.
In total, eight people have been charged in connection with the Byderabo brawl. Police reports indicate that several persons were injured in the melee, prompting the intervention of local law enforcement.