Minor stuns judge with expletives

A 17-year-old schoolboy stunned Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montaque on Tuesday when he revealed that even though he is set to start grade 11, he was only recommended to sit one Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subject.

The senior jurist was also shocked when she learnt of the teen's behaviour which landed him in trouble. It was reported that on July 20 at 11:25 p.m., police from the Kingston Eastern Division responded to a call of a gathering at an unpermitted event at the intersection of William and Maiden streets. While the police were dispersing the crowd, the minor shouted, "Hey b********t boy! Carry mi tings come." The court heard that the minor was instructed to desist from using indecent language in the presence of the police but repeated his utterance.

The police held on to the teenager but his sister Kira Clarke, his co-defendant, intervened, while shouting, "Leggo off a mi b********t bredda." There was a tussle between Clarke and the police, and she said "Idiot police boy, yuh coulda be police likkle more, me nuh fraid a yuh." The siblings were eventually apprehended and charged with resisting arrest, indecent language and disorderly conduct, while Clarke, 19 was also charged with obstructing the police. Cole-Montague asked the minor who he was speaking to when he cursed.

"One yute just tek me bicycle and me a call him how long and him nah tun back, so me just get ignorant and just cuss two cl**t offa him," the minor explained.

"He needs help. Let me tell you, God works in mysterious ways you know. Sometimes some of them have to end up in courthouse for we to straighten dem out because it is obvious that the parenting and supervision that this young man needs, he is lacking it," the senior jurist stressed. The siblings pleaded guilty to all the charges.

"You see how things and time change. I don't think at 17 years old if I stood before a judge, I could be so bold enough to say 'and just cuss two cl**t offa him'. Me nuh understand, something wrong with the young people," the presiding judge said.

When asked about his career goals, the minor explained that he wanted to play professional football and fix cars. However, he was not actively engaged in training for either.

"He needs help. I need to see his report card. Not just as a judge, but as a citizen of this country, as a mother, I have a vested interest," she said.

The minor was made the subject of a probation order for a year, and admonished and discharged on the charge of disorderly conduct. But he was ordered to pay $2,000 or spend 10 days in prison on the charge of using indecent language.

Cole-Montague urged him to "sort out your head, in terms of what you will be".

Clarke was fined $3,000 or ordered to spend 10 days in prison for resisting arrest and fined $2,000 or spend 10 days in prison for using indecent language. For the offence of disorderly conduct, she was fined $2,000 or 10-days imprisonment but was admonished and discharged on the charge of obstructing the police.