ONE-YEAR-OLD ABUSED BY GRANDMA
Ajudge was left speechless yesterday after hearing that a grandmother abused a one-year-old child whom she beat on the sole of his feet with a hairbrush. Peaches Robinson pleaded guilty to child abuse when she appeared in the the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court to answer to child abuse charges before Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague.
Kyle Nancho, the child’s father, pleaded not guilty.
The court heard that on July 6, the complainant, having left her child with Robinson, realised that her daughter had bruises on her body and cigarette burnt marks on her back.
“Is your granddaughter you do that? So if you do her that, a weh you would a do a stranger pickney?” the judge asked Robinson as she stood in the prisoner’s dock with the support of a cane.
“Madam, tell me what led you to do that on that day. How could you use a brush and beat a child? You know how much people want children. I don’t understand this,” the judge expressed.
The complainant was present in court with the child, and showed the judge the injuries the child sustained from the incident. The judge was displeased to see the scars from the burns. She became even more saddened when the mother shared with the court that the child cannot stand properly, as she received slaps on the sole of her feet.
Cole-Montague ordered a social enquiry report for Robinson, and stressed that compensation will be made. However, Robinson told the court that she is not able to work as she has an impending medical condition.
“You walking with a stick but you can take up a brush and beat a child. When you have disability and those stuff, you would take it easy, but you cannot waive the disability to seh I am not working and that give you a ride out of whatever consequences you need to deal with. I don’t know where you going get it from, you might have to borrow it, you might have to beg it, you may have to take a small loan but you are going to pay your daughter $50,000 to cover the medical expenses,” the judge instructed Robinson.
Sentencing for Robinson is set for September 23. Nancho is to return to court the same date when his case is mentioned.