Stepfather gets nine months for assaulting child over stew fish

“If you tek de goat ya have to tek de kiddy.”That was the advice given to a stepfather who whipped his stepson

Gavin Rodney

with a length of wire after the child ate the last piece of stew fish.
Gavin Rodney was given a nine-month jail sentence when he appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive- Hamilton yesterday and admitted to the offence of assaulting his 10-year-old stepson.

The police alleged that on May 22, last, at Tucville, Georgetown, Rodney unlawfully and maliciously assaulted the 10-year-old child to cause him bodily harm.

To the charge the defendant pleaded guilty, but requested to explain himself.
The court then listened to the police who stated that on the day in question, the defendant made checks and noticed that a piece of the fish was gone from the stew pot. Rodney then proceeded to smell the child’s mouth and it was determined that the 10-year-old was the culprit.

On discovering this, the defendant resorted to an electric wire to discipline the child. According to the police, the child and his mother accompanied by a neighbour, went to the East La Penitence Police Station to make a report. Rodney was later arrested and charged with the offense.

When given the opportunity to state his case, Rodney started to explain how much he did for the child. He wanted to say how long he knew the child and how he took care of him. But the court deemed that was not relevant to the matter at hand. As Rodney refused to relate to the day in question, the court offered a nine-month time period to the defendant during which he would be able to reflect on his actions. Rodney however claimed that he did not use an electric wire to scold the child, but it was in fact a television cable wire.

On Tuesday last, neighbours rescued the 10-year-old child after he ran from his home screaming and begging for assistance. He had told residents that his stepfather was beating him because he ate the last piece of stew fish. Angry residents kept the child in their possession until the mother came home from work.

The residents had requested the intervention of authorities since they claimed that it was not the first time the man had beaten the child in such a manner.
The 10-year-old bored marks of violence. He had several marks showing the lashes he sustained from the wire. They were red and swollen.