School boy to get 12 strokes for possession of offensive weapon
...Mother fined EC$250
By Pauline Waruguru
Nevis Reporter - SKNVibes.com
~~Adz:Left~~CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS – MAGISTRATE Yasmine Clarke on Monday ordered that a 15-year-old Charlestown Secondary School student be given 12 strokes after finding him guilty of possession of an offensive weapon.
The Magistrate also imposed a fine of EC$250 on the boy’s mother and noted that the law allows the conviction of parents when a child is underage.
Prior to sentencing the juvenile, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, Magistrate Clarke told him, “Your mother can be in trouble or your father, and that is why I wanted your father to have been in Court. The law allows the conviction of a parent when a child is underage.”
“I have seen many who appear in court as juveniles and come back before me as adults. You should behave yourself or come out of school,” the Magistrate said.
Magistrate Clarke told the student that he had to be a brilliant child, as he was a 4A2 student. “You will soon be out of school. Don’t you want to come out and help your mother. I find you guilty. You will receive 12 strokes and I fine your mother EC$250 to be paid within one month.”
The school boy was discovered to have the offensive weapon, an ice pick, on March 30, 2008. In his evidence, CSS Principal Edson Elliot said that on the day in question he was investigating a stone throwing incident at the Charlestown Secondary School when he asked the convicted student and other students to accompany him to his office.
While the Principal and the students were walking towards his office, he saw the accused throw a bag to another student, but he intercepted the boy, searched the bag and found a white-handle ice pick and books bearing the name of the accused.
On response to Elliott’s call at the Charlestown Police Station, Sergeant Alonzo Carty went to the school and the Principal handed over the boy to him. Sergeant Carty searched the bag and among its contents found the ice pick.
Carty told the court that when he had questioned the student about the ice pick found in his school bag, he had replied, “Somebody threatened me.” Seargeant Carty arrested the student and later charged him. The student, cross examined by Police Prosecutor Inspector Andre Mitchell, however denied making such statement to Sergeant Carty.
Earlier, while giving evidence, the CSS Principal informed the court that in the past the school had had problems with the student. In a previous incident, the Principal said he had recommended that the student work with a counsellor, but the boy had attempted to fight in one of the counselling sessions.
“We have been trying and this time round we reported the case to the Police to protect the other students. We wanted to do everything and not wait until something happens,” the CSS Principal said. When given the opportunity to question the Principal, the student asked him why the other students were not arrested.
In response, Elliot said he was at the time investigating an incident when the offensive weapon was discovered. The Principal pointed out that the student’s mother was involved in a number of counselling sessions when the school was trying to assist the boy. He also informed that the Minister for Social Development, Hensley Daniel, had also conducted counselling sessions with the student.
Magistrate Clarke sought to know from the mother what kind of punishment she imposed on her son whenever the school reported his undesired behaviour to her. The mother said she would at times deny him permission to go places, adding she promised not to purchase him a computer he wanted until she could have seen a change in his behaviour.
The mother said her son does not misbehave at home: “He gives no trouble at home. I do not know his friends. I do not have an ice pick at home.” She told the Court that her son was under one month’s suspension from the school. The mother, seemingly calm throughout the court session, maintained the same disposition even when sentence was dispensed.
Asked to comment on the sentence while outside the courtroom, she said gently replied, “Me alright!”
