Babysitter assault case…Lawyers move to appeal 60-month sentence

Attorneys representing the young woman who was jailed for assaulting a one–year–old who was in her care, are in the process of appealing the 60-month jail sentence that was handed down, citing discrepancies in the way the matter was handled. The lawyers who are working pro-bono on the woman’s behalf have stated their intention to move to the Appeal Court after interviewing her about what transpired after the assault of the baby to the time of her sentencing. Attorney at law Christopher Ram told Kaieteur News yesterday that he interviewed the woman on Sunday last in his capacity as secretary of the Guyana Bar Association, along with Attorney Mohamed Ali in his capacity as an executive of the Bar. Attorneys Sase Gunraj and Emily Dotson are expected to file the application. Kaieteur News has learnt however that Fatima Martin, the 19-year-old babysitter has accused the baby’s mother Geeta Chandan -a Magistrate- of repeatedly assaulting her, while the baby’s father, Joel Edmond – a lawyer- threatened to shoot her. According to Martin’s statement dated February 16, when Chandan found out that she (babysitter) had struck the infant, she had assaulted her and used abusive language against her at different times and even in the presence of police ranks. Martin said that she started working as a live-in maid with the Edmonds in November. Her duties were to tend to the couple’s five and one-year-old children, among other chores. On February 11, the baby refused to have her pampers put on, ‘and I don’t know what came into me and I hit her in the face with the back of my hand,” Martin said. She said the baby started to cry and she realized that her eyes were bruised and she texted the baby’s mother. Martin said she told Magistrate Chandan that the baby had fallen off the bed, before she (Chandan) left with the baby and returned with a “female person dressed in all-over black.” Martin said she later learnt that it was a constabulary officer from Chandan’s court. Martin said she changed her story to say that the baby had fallen in the bathroom, when she was again asked about the child. The parents had by the next day, made a second attempt to take the baby to the doctor, and after returning, questioned her about the child’s injury; this time threatening to call the police. Martin’s statement said further that a male Inspector of Police dressed in “all-over brown” came to the Magistrate’s home and in a private meeting she (Martin) admitted to “hitting” the baby. This information was later related to the Magistrate, and her husband who then yelled, “You hit my child,” before proceeding to “slap and hit me on both sides of my face, cuff me in my head and hit me with the baby bottle which was full with feed.” Martin said she began to cry in the presence of the male officer, “who did nothing”. Mr. Edmond, Martin alleged, then said he would shoot her. Martin continued that the officer in brown clothes before arresting her asked if she had anything to collect, and she and Chandan went upstairs to her room. Martin alleged that after Chandan pulled her clothes from the drawer, she threw it on the floor and started to stomp on it. She claims the Magistrate then started to pull her hair and cuff her again. She said the female officer from the previous day, heard the commotion in the bedroom and came to ask the Magistrate to desist from hitting her, but she (Chandan) continued, Martin said. She alleged that Chandan continued to hit her on the left side of her head, where she has a lump from birth; telling her (Martin) that she will make it turn to cancer. Martin said she was taken to the Beterverwagting Police Station where she was booked and locked up. The next day, a confrontation was held with Chandan and her husband. During the taking of the statements, Martin said the Magistrate again assaulted her by, “slapping me, pulling my hair and hitting me with a staple machine on both knees, punched me twice on my left breast and took up the back of the staple machine and hit me in my stomach.” Martin alleged that when the police officer went outside the room, Mr. Edmond told her that he allowed his wife to do the hitting, “because if he did, he would have broken my neck.” The teen said she was returned to the lock ups. On February 13, Martin said she spent half day in the lock ups and was taken to the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. Up to that time, Martin said she was not aware of the charge against her or advised of any rights she had. Both the baby’s parents were present in court, she said. The charge was later read to her and she pleaded guilty. Martin said she was given a five-year jail sentence, but one of the lawyers representing the Magistrate and her husband told the presiding Magistrate (Sueanna Lovell) to sentence her in months. She was then given 60 months. Martin said she was not asked to make a statement or asked whether she wanted to say anything. She alleges that Chandan came to her in the courtyard and told her that she would pray for her to punish more. Martin said after a police officer told her to apologise to the Magistrate and her husband, she did.