Judge scolds mother of teen robbery suspect

A senior parish judge blamed the mother of a 17-year-old robbery suspect for what she describes as "child neglect", which resulted in the teen being introduced to criminal behaviour.

Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell was incensed by the woman's utterances that her son, who cannot be named by this newspaper as he is a minor, found himself in the company of adult men, Jaykong Samuels and Omarion Rose, facing allegations of robbing a schoolboy of his cell phone. The woman shared with the judge that she sent her son to spend time with a relative in Cassava Piece, after she was among five women injured in a shooting incident in their community.

"He stopped going to school when he was 15. I didn't have any help to maintain him," the mother of five said, adding that she is not a beneficiary of the government's PATH initiative, nor did she seek help from school administrators.

"We pay education tax in Jamaica you know, for him to go to school. Mother, you should be thanking me for taking him off your hands. You can't just sit down and say you don't have no help," the judge said.

"This is your hard work right there; you worked very hard to get him like that. He didn't accidentally become someone who got caught in a robbery at Half-Way Tree. This is the result of not trying to get help, this is the result of being passive. This is the result of not wanting the best for him."

The mother told the judge that her son was expected to learn carpentry with the relative, but was surprised upon hearing news of his alleged involvement in the robbery.

"You are expected to know where your 17-year-old is, you are supposed to be responsible for him. You know that the police can charge you with child neglect for not sending him to school?" Burrell asked. "The police can lock you up yuh know, and it's not too late. When more of you can understand that the police can lock you up, then you will start doing what you're supposed to do. He's being neglected, that's why he is here, and other people are teaching him how to do the wrong things."

Burrell said that she would not be considering bail for the minor, who pleaded not guilty to the offence, and remanded him in custody at the Metcalfe Street Juvenile Centre until November 28, when the matter is set for mention. Samuels and Rose are to be brought before the court then.

Prosecutors contend that the complainant, who is a minor, was walking with a group of friends close to the Pavilion Mall in Half-Way Tree when one of the accused grabbed him and inquired about his phone. It is alleged that the accused grabbged the minor's neck, saying, "Gimme yuh phone or me will stab yuh."

The accused took the complainant's iPhone XR and moved off. A civilian intervened, and the accused was chased into Pavilion Mall's parking lot, where he was apprehended and handed over to the police. The other accused were apprehended later that day.