Son baits dog to bite mom - Family members clash over dirty clothes

A young man, who admitted to shoving his mother to the ground and allowing his dog to bite her because she caused his clothes to get dirty, earned the ire of the presiding judge when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court yesterday.

"The problem with your generation is that you don't do anything in school, come out, bleach out face, and wear tight pants. You're not contributing to the household, and you get upset because your mother caused your clothes to fall?" Judge Chester Crooks questioned.

Malicious destruction

The accused is 21-year-old Percival Clayton. He pleaded guilty to the charges of malicious destruction of property and assault occasioning bodily harm.

He told the judge that on the day in question, his clothes were hanging on the line, and his mother moved the line stick, causing them to fall on the ground in dirty water. He said they started quarrelling, and then the incident transpired.

The prosecution then shared a part of the statement which Clayton's mother gave to the police when she reported the matter. "For the past couple of years, my son has been terrorising me and my husband. We are fearful of him. He said he is not going to stop until he kills us all." she said in the statement.

Remanded

Clayton's mother then told Judge Crooks that she did not say those things to the police, and she forgives her son. She also said she wishes to drop the matter, but the judge remanded Clayton for a social-enquiry report to be done, which the court heard would be ready by July 13. A mention date was set for that day, and Clayton was hauled away.

However, some minutes later, a lawyer appeared in court, saying Clayton's mother hired her to work on his case. The lawyer added that she was making a bail application on behalf of her client, who also wanted to revoke his guilty plea.

An enraged Judge Crooks then said, "This is an abuse of process. He pleaded guilty, and I wrote it down based on his explanation. But I understand a mother's love."

Still, the judge said that the guilty plea could remain on the books until the director of public prosecutions instructs otherwise.