By PAVEL BAILEY
A MOTHER who was arrested after attacking her son with a knife was placed on probation for one year, given community service and ordered to attend counselling after pleading guilty to charges of child cruelty.
The 29-year-old mother appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deleveaux for abusing her 13-year-old son on Thursday, March 11.
The court was told that she kicked her son in the chest and came at him with a knife. She also threw the child on the floor and hit him in his face.
After the child was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries it was found that he had been stabbed in the leg. His mother was then arrested in relation to this incident.
In court, the mother pleaded guilty to the charge of cruelty to children. However, while she apologised for coming at the 13-year-old with a knife, she denied hitting her son in the face saying it was accidental.
The mother told the court that they were fighting with each other and that while this was not their first fight, this one arose because her son told her he no longer wanted to live with her.
The accused’s lawyer Wilver Deleveaux expressed his client’s contrition for her actions and said that this incident was caused by the mother getting caught up in the heat of the moment. He elaborated that his client did in fact go overboard in disciplining her child, but said that she was still a good mother.
Mr Deleveaux implored the court not to impose a custodial sentence as his client had two other young children, a 6 and 10-year-old, to take care of and also noted that she had no prior convictions.
He asked that in view of her early plea of guilt to spare the court’s time, that the magistrate consider sending his client to counselling and community service instead. Mr Deleveaux ended his plea by asking that the accused be given a second chance.
Magistrate Turnquest- Deveaux spared the accused a custodial sentence, but sentenced her to one year’s probation. The accused was ordered to participate in parenting and anger management classes as well as attending counselling sessions with her 13-year-old child. The mother is also expected to complete 100 hours of community service.
The magistrate then informed the woman that if she fails to meet any of these conditions at the end of one year, she would be sentenced to a year in the Department of Correctional Services.
In addition to being told of her right to appeal the court’s ruling in seven days, Magistrate Turnquest- Deveaux also said that Social Services would be monitoring the accused’s behaviour with her other children.
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