An 11-year-old Jamaican boy whose parents cannot control him will be deported from Antigua & Barbuda.
According to the Antigua Observer, the Primary School student appeared before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh in St John’s Magistrates’ Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny.
It’s reported that this was the child’s second appearance before a magistrate for stealing. He last appeared before former district ‘B’ magistrate Joan Fung.
The prosecutor told the court that on Wednesday, February 15, the virtual complainant, Suzette Hamilton, placed two phones – a Nokia and a Blu – on her dressing table in her bedroom. The Nokia is valued $400 and the other phone costs $30.
The 11-year-old is a “regular visitor to the home,” the prosecutor said. On the day in question, the child went to the house, saw the phones, picked them up and left.
Hamilton discovered that the phones – one belonging to her and the other one for her mother – were missing when she went to get them about 3 pm.
A report was made to the police and investigations were conducted. The Jamaican youth was taken into custody and he admitted to taking the phones and told the police where to find them.
Both cell phones were recovered. The child was arrested and charged.
Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin told the court that the young man’s mother and father were fed up with him. Benjamin said the parents consented for the boy to receive 12 lashes from a police officer.
Chief Magistrate Walsh reportedly told Benjamin that it was already too late to curb the child’s thievery, since he started at age seven.
“He is already broken into being a thief. If his own parents can’t cope with him, why should the state cope with him? It is obvious that he does not listen to them (his parents),” she said.
Walsh said, “I am not going to send him to prison for taxpayers to feed him. I am seriously contemplating on sending him back to Jamaica and he can steal there.”
The prosecutor informed the court that the 11 year old, who has resided in Antigua for the past four years, has been out of time since August 31, 2010.
Based on that information, Benjamin said he would discontinue his plea for leniency.
Walsh inquired how the Jamaican youth, who was dressed in his school uniform, was allowed in school without legal status. She then made the order for his deportation.
(Source http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=35555)
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