‘He threatens me!’ – mother complains of son

An 18-year-old of South Wood now has a criminal record, and the complainant was his mother.

Calford Thomas was charged before the Serious Offences Court that this Tuesday, in South Wood, he did damage one ZTE cell phone, two breakable glasses and one plastic juice cup.

The young man, who is one of seven children of the virtual complainant, pleaded guilty to the offence. Some of this family lives in a one-room house in South Wood and it was apparently at this home, at around 6 a.m., that the incident occurred. Thomas was sleeping in a part of that room leading to the outside of the house, when his sister wanted to get past him to get ready for school, as read in court. The defendant did not move out of his sister’s way and his mother intervened, asking him to move. His mother told the police that he became annoyed, got up and started cursing and demanding money that he had lent her. He then apparently took up the phone and smashed it on the floor. She also said that he took up a cutlass and damaged the glasses and juice cup. After this happened, his mother went to the Calliaqua Police Station and reported the incident. Her son was subsequently arrested and taken to the Police Station. Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias then asked the young defendant questions, especially about his schooling.

The 18-year-old said he had got to Form One in school, but his mother took him out of school. He said he didn’t go back after she burnt his school clothes, and now he does mason work.

It was then time to speak to the complainant herself, and his mother, named Evangelist, was asked to step into the witness box. Evangelist said she wanted him to be put on a bond and for the cell phone to be replaced, because his sister was using it to do her School Based Assessments (SBAs).

She said she didn’t burn his clothes and that he left school because he got into a lot of fights and used to carry on.

The chief magistrate then asked how his behaviour was at home, to which Evangelist said that he smokes weed.

She then told a story about her son leaving to live with a friend and then begging her to take him back, which she did, and she described the preparations she had made for him in the house.

This prompted Browne-Matthias to ask a number of questions, “You took him back?..You’re satisfied to take him back as a mother?..You’re even making better preparation for him in the home?..So, you love him enough?”

Evangelist answered yes to all the questions and “of course” when asked whether she loves him enough.

The Chief Magistrate then stated that if this were the case, the matter could have been dealt with at home.

“But he threatening me!” Evangelist cried, “is not the first time.”

“But you making preparations still? So, clearly, he’s not such a threat to you,” Browne-Matthias responded.

“You will say so, but he threaten me,” the mother replied. “I trying to help him and he come and dissing me like that.”

The Chief Magistrate asked both parties to reflect, the mother to do some introspection and the son to respect his parents more, as the Bible says.

“And to get a criminal record for stupidness is really, really not acceptable,” she ended.

The young defendant is required to compensate his mother for all the items he damaged by February 28, or he will spend one month in prison. The defendant was also placed on bond for six months.

At the end of it all, mother and son walked out of the courtroom together.(KR)