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FM
Former Member

Sitter to appeal 60-month child abuse sentence

Posted By Staff Writer On February 19, 2014 @ 5:23 am In Local News | No Comments

Fatima Martin, the babysitter sentenced to five years in prison for assaulting an infant child, plans to appeal her sentence and to file complaints against her former employers for allegedly assaulting and threatening her after she confessed to the crime.

Fatima Martin’s sister Charmain Martin and her aunt Gloria Johnson announced the plans to reporters yesterday at the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) office on Brickdam, where they also alleged that the 19-year-old woman had been working under oppressive conditions, including not being allowed to leave her employers’ house when she wanted.

Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond and her husband Joel Edmond employed Martin as a babysitter. When Stabroek News contacted the magistrate and her husband yesterday, they declined to comment on the allegations but produced a medical report on the injuries the baby suffered.

Fatima Martin

Fatima Martin

The child, who is one year old, received medical attention for injuries most likely caused by blunt trauma—often seen in strangulation, the report said. It also noted that the injuries on such a small child could have serious intracranial consequences.

In light of the outcry over the 60-month sentence, which saw a protest organised on Monday to coincide with a Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) workshop for jurists, the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) has taken a decision to inquire into the case to determine whether it should provide pro bono services to Martin.

As a result, attorneys Mohamed Ali and Christopher Ram, who are GBA executive committee members, visited the woman at the Beterverwaging Police Station and took a statement from her. In the statement, Martin admitted to committing the assault on the child and alleged that the magistrate assaulted her after she confessed to the crime and that her husband threatened her.

From left are Fatima Martin’s sister Charmain Martin, her aunt Gloria Johnson talking to Simona Broomes yesterday.

From left are Fatima Martin’s sister Charmain Martin, her aunt Gloria Johnson talking to Simona Broomes yesterday.

According to the statement, Martin, who was left alone with the child last Tuesday, was attempting to change her diaper when she committed the assault. “…The baby refused to allow me to put pampers on her and I do not know what got into me and I hit her in her face with the back of my hand,” she said.

She added that the baby started to cry and she realized that the child’s eyes were bruised. She subsequently contacted the magistrate and requested that she should return home in connection with the baby.

Martin said she hid the truth from her employers but confessed the next day after they threatened to call the police. Upon her confession, she said, the magistrate became enraged and assaulted her in the presence of a police inspector, who did nothing. At this point, she claimed the child’s father threatened her.

Two days later, Martin said she was still unaware of the charges against her and had not received any advice on any rights she might have. She said that Magistrate Sueanna Lovell who sentenced her, did not ask her to make any statement, or inquired whether she had a lawyer or wanted to say anything.

However, while protestors have accused the magistrate of acting prejudicially in handing down the 60-month sentence, sources told Stabroek News that Magistrate Lovell is maintaining that after considering the extent of the injuries inflicted on the baby and Martin’s lack of remorse during the court hearing, it was the right decision.

Meanwhile, Martin’s relative said yesterday that they were not running away from the fact that she committed a crime but they were working to ensure she has a fair trial.

“This is not the place for her to be. This is wrong. She is not a rude person and she is very hard working,” said Johnson, who alleged that Martin was saddled with additional duties that she had not agreed to. “She would cook, clean, wash and look after the baby,” said Johnson, who also claimed that Martin became stressed out at the  amount of work she was required to do.

She stated that Martin was weeping when she visited her in prison on Monday. “I told her that we will go all out because people have to know that this is wrong. They didn’t give her a chance to get a lawyer and talk to her family they just dumped her because they know that she don’t have anybody,” she added.

Simona Broomes, head of the GWMO, one of the organisations that participated in Monday’s protest, said the teen worked 24 hours a day, was not given a lunch break and was not allowed to visit her family when she wanted. She said Martin had to sleep with the baby every night.

 

 

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Meanwhile up the road a Freedom House operative walk free after robbing the state of millions.

 

This is PPP form of justice.

 

Stolen OLPF laptops found at Queenstown security firm

 

- plough, plasma TV, Health Ministry’s property among booty

A government security contractor is in hot water after police, in search of stolen items, discovered millions of dollars worth of suspected stolen items including several laptops linked to government’s One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme.
Up to late last evening, ranks from the city and the West Demerara area were still loading a Canter truck filled with speakers, several flat screen TVs, computers and even a plough, that was recovered from the Queenstown compound of Strategic Action Security Limited.

Police raided this Queenstown office of Strategic Action Security yesterday, recovering several OLPF-marked laptops, and other items suspected to be stolen.

The company, which is reportedly managed by Richard Kanhai, is a company that normally bids for security contracts on Government properties.
Police, Kaieteur News was told, arrived at the 93 Laluni Street residence/office sometime around 15:00hrs.
Reportedly, investigators were tipped off that several stolen items were sold to someone there.
Police ranks searched the security company’s offices and later moved over to a back building that is part of the compound. There they reportedly forced open a secured area. It was there that they made the startling discoveries.
In addition to around seven or eight OLPF-marked laptops, there were plasma TVs, and a host of other items. The ranks reportedly were preparing to conduct searches in another area in the compound late last night.
Kaieteur News understands that police in the West Demerara area recently arrested a number of persons for theft. Those arrested reportedly claimed they sold the items to a Queenstown businessman whom they named.
Included in the haul was said to be a computer power backup system with a Ministry of Health marking on it.
The OLPF laptops may very well intrigue investigators as 100 of them disappeared last August from the project’s Queenstown, Georgetown office. The police had been called in.
To date, no one has been arrested and according to Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, several staffers were subjected to lie-detector tests. The tests were inconclusive.
In April, Dr. Luncheon disclosed that on the basis of the investigation by the police and the result from the lie-detector test “we haven’t got any closer to identifying who specifically is or was the thief.”
Kaieteur News was told that all the people who came under suspicion took the test and the response of quite a few of them “generated considerable doubts in the minds of the analyst.”
The OLPF is a multi-billion government project meant to, over a three year period, distribute 90,000 computers to poor families who cannot afford one.
The security company will now have to explain how the OLPF laptops ended up there.

 

 

 

FM

Part of their recent propaganda has to do with the sugar strike, and it is not the first time that they have concocted propaganda about the sugar union.

 

I believe that the PPP works on the assumption that because sugar workers are mostly East Indians, they own them but THEY LIE!

 

The PPP believe that they can LIE on NCN and the rest of the nation will not know what happened in the sugar belt.  How the impoverish the workers while the few at the top of the PPP got rich off of the industry like one Raj from Jersey.

 

 

FM
Originally Posted by yuji22:
Originally Posted by KishanB:
Originally Posted by KishanB:

PPP losing support every minute of the DAY.

BECAUSE OF THE LIES

Is Nigel your source ?

 

Did Nigel Hughes bugger you? Because you seem obsessed with him. Every third word is Nigel's name.

FM

'~~~~~

The child, who is one year old, received medical attention for injuries most likely caused by blunt trauma—often seen in strangulation, the report said. It also noted that the injuries on such a small child could have serious intracranial consequences.~~~~~

 

 

This woman should be whipped!

 

FM
Originally Posted by TI:

'~~~~~

The child, who is one year old, received medical attention for injuries most likely caused by blunt trauma—often seen in strangulation, the report said. It also noted that the injuries on such a small child could have serious intracranial consequences.~~~~~

 

 

This woman should be whipped!

 

 

Or hanged.

FM

 “…The baby refused to allow me to put pampers on her and I do not know what got into me and I hit her in her face with the back of my hand,” she said.-~~~~~

 

 

backhanding a little baby? The parents should have give her a good cut ass. I would!

FM
Originally Posted by TI:

 “…The baby refused to allow me to put pampers on her and I do not know what got into me and I hit her in her face with the back of my hand,” she said.-~~~~~

 

 

backhanding a little baby? The parents should have give her a good cut ass. I would!

She should be hanged.

FM
Originally Posted by JoKer:
Originally Posted by yuji22:
Originally Posted by KishanB:
Originally Posted by KishanB:

PPP losing support every minute of the DAY.

BECAUSE OF THE LIES

Is Nigel your source ?

 

Did Nigel Hughes bugger you? Because you seem obsessed with him. Every third word is Nigel's name.

JoKer,

How would you have reacted if someone tried to strangle your one year old child? Be honest now.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Originally Posted by yuji22:
Originally Posted by TI:

'~~~~~

The child, who is one year old, received medical attention for injuries most likely caused by blunt trauma—often seen in strangulation, the report said. It also noted that the injuries on such a small child could have serious intracranial consequences.~~~~~

 

 

This woman should be whipped!

 

 

Or hanged.

you and that other ass IT or what is living in the wrong era that women commit a assault in north america or any other country in the world people get a fine for this offence.,you is the ones need to be  shot for being stupid

FM
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:

WHRE IS THE RIGHT OF THE CHILD? WHO SHOULD BE LOOKING OUT FOR THE WELFARE OF THE HELPLESS CHILD?

the punishment was not justify for the crime,this is a abuse of power i am not saying the women should not be punish but  laws must be justify and equal that is why the symbol of law is a scale

FM

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