Mom allegedly assaults boy for bullying her daughter

A Corporate Area mother allegedly assaulted a boy who she accused of bullying her child at their school.

The mother is charged with malicious destruction of property and unlawful wounding. She did not enter a plea yesterday when she appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

It was reported that on June 17 at 9:30 a.m., the complainant was in his physical education class when the mother walked up to him and accused him of bothering her daughter. The complainant, who is 12, in his statement related that the mother told him "Why yuh a trouble mi pickney? Yuh mada a w**** and sell front. All a unnu [name of school] pickney a bag a crosses."

It is alleged that the mother used her cell phone to hit the child in his face and then poked him in his left eye with her finger. The court heard that she tore the child's shirt. The mother allegedly went into her bag, as if searching for something and said, "Watch weh me a go do yuh." However, the complainant pushed her and sought assistance from teachers. The woman told parish judge Jacqueline Wilcott that her child reported the alleged incidents of bullying to the school's guidance counsellor and principal but claimed they did nothing to prevent the situation from escalating.

"Dem tief her phone out her bag, dem keep on a trouble, trouble her. Me come down to the school and me say to him 'Likkle bwoy, stop trouble me baby because she a have dream and she nah feel good'. Him always keep on a trouble her. Him a the bully in the seven grade block. Me go down there and me tell him stop trouble the likkle girl. Him fly up and box me inna me face. Me go to the principal and teacher and nothing nuh happen," the mother said.

The judge advised the prosecutor to have the investigating officer obtain statements from the guidance counsellor and principal. He then referred the matter to restorative justice to give the parties a chance to mediate the situation.

"The issue that brought us here is not the issue that started the problem. People don't just, in general, just walk out in the blue and attack someone especially at a school. So something had occurred and you know what is happening, clearly. So the question is what and how do you deal with it, because if you don't deal with the root of the issue, this will occur again," the parish judge argued.

The parties are to return to court on October 19 when the matter is set for mention. A subpoena was issued for the investigating officer to complete the file.