Angry parent accused of assaulting Bustamante Hospital worker

A woman who accused a patient care assistant at the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC) of feeding her child hot porridge was yesterday forced to defend herself in court after she was accused of assaulting the healthcare worker.

The mother, Sophia Brown, pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault occasioning bodily harm in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

It is alleged that Brown accused the complainant of giving her child hot porridge, which resulted in the child suffering burns. The complainant, joined by nurses, reportedly assured Brown, that no one gave the child the hot meal but she would not relent.

The irate mother was removed from the ward and placed in the nurses' room. She, however, left the room and allegedly said to the complainant, "Hey gal, me will fix yuh in here, yuh know."

It is alleged that the mother then hit the patient care assistant on the right side of her face, causing her tested glasses to be damaged. The cost of the damage is said to be $75,000.

However, in her defence, the mother told Chief Parish Judge Chester Crooks a different story. She said that on arriving at the hospital, she noticed her son's clothes were soaked.

"I turned to her [the complainant] and asked her and she said 'Yes, is she [feed her child]. Because she changed the bed, she never get fi change the shirt. I say to her 'Why you only change the sheet, why you never change the shirt?' She say 'A whole heap a children in here we attending to'. Then after me say 'Unnu caah deal with people pickney like dat.' I did not touch her, I point in her face, I did not touch her. Then she draw weh and take up a pan with some bottle fi throw it," Brown told the judge.

Brown alleged that moments after that, the complainant's children approached her and asked "A who a trouble me mada?" She said the complainant's son kicked at her and her daughter dragged her hair. Brown said she was then taken from the ward and held in another room until police arrived.

She maintained that she did not damage the complainant's glasses.

Crooks referred the matter to mediation. The parties are expected to return to court on February 2.