Man punched daughter for coming home late from school

A ST James man who reportedly punched his 14-year-old daughter and threatened to cut her throat for returning home late from school avoided a prison term after he and the complainant’s mother settled the family dispute through mediation last Wednesday.

The dad, of Granville, was before the St James Parish Court on a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Allegations are that on November 29, 2022, about 5:30 p.m., the complainant was just arriving home when the father, whose identity is being withheld to preserve the child’s privacy, accosted her and accused her of walking home with a male student.

The father reportedly grabbed his daughter and pushed her outside the house, punched her in her right eye, and kicked away her feet, causing her to fall and hit her head. The accused then took a knife and threatened to cut the girl’s throat, following which a relative took her to another location.

Under caution, the man reportedly told the police: “Mi know a wha’ mi do, and it nuh right.”

DENIED ALLEGATION

But when questioned by Parish Judge Natiesha Fairclough-hylton if he had punched his daughter, the father denied that allegation.

“No, Miss … . I came home, and I noticed the time got late, and I saw her coming in and she was with somebody. When she came in, I said, ‘I never expect you to reach home at this time. This is a very serious time, and I keep on talking to you over and over that if you leave school, just come home,’ and it was like she never business,” the father explained.

Meanwhile, the prosecution noted that the complainant’s mother, who appeared on behalf of her child, took issue with some details of the allegations.

The father was subsequently ordered to undergo a brief mediation session with the complainant’s mother and the court was later informed that the intervention had succeeded.

Thereafter, a no-evidence motion was made and the father allowed to leave.