Boy, 12, critical after forced to touch live wire

A 12-year-old Corentyne, Berbice lad who was beaten and forced to touch a live wire on a utility pole by one of his friends, is in a critical condition in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)’s Burn Care Unit.

The injured Budgepaul Ramdass at the hospital’s Burn Care Unit .

Budgepaul Ramdass, of Lot 31 Number 54 Village Corentyne, Berbice has been hospitalized at the city’s health institution for the past three months with burns to approximately 80 percent of his body. He was admitted to the facility’s High Dependency Unit and was later transferred to the Burn Unit.
According to reports, the lad went into the back dam with three of his friends, aged eight, 13 and 16 when the oldest teen reportedly whipped and forced him to climb a Guyana Power and Light utility pole and touch a live wire.
After seeing the 12-year-old in flames, the 16-year-old commanded him to jump in a nearby trench.
At the hospital, the child’s mother, Naline Ragnauth, told Kaieteur News that her son left home early on June 17 last, to visit his aunt who lives a short distance away.
“He left home and he say he going by one of his aunts and then the 16-year-old boy collect him and two other li’l boys from there and took him into the backdams,” the child’s mother related.
The mother says her son related that his friend took him into the back dam and beat him with a whip. “He said that after the boy (16-year-old) beat him, he hold him and pushed him up the post and tell him to go touch the wire.”
According to the woman, after her son touched the wire, his shirt was in flames and the 16-year-old told him to jump in the water below, which he did.
“The boy (16-year-old) got away and the 13-year-old had to bring him home and we took him to the hospital. At the hospital they wanted to cut off his hand and so. They doctors told me that there is a slight chance for him to survive,” the mother said in tears.
Kaieteur News was told that the matter was reported to the Number 51 Village Police Station but the police did nothing even though the two children who were present when the incident occurred related what they saw.
“The boy father paid off the police officer (name given) who is dealing with the

The mother, Naline Ragnaught.

matter and they are not doing anything. Every time I go to the station to find out, the police always telling me to come back,” the mother stressed.
When Kaieteur News contacted the officer whom the mother accused of collecting bribe, he said that he was in a rush and would only say that the matter is being investigated.