Father seeks compensation for abused 7-year-old

Orlando Browne, the father of a seven-year-old boy who was beaten by his stepfather for not being able to do his homework, will be seeking compensation for the youth’s injuries.

On Monday, Calvert ‘DJ Blackseran’ John, appeared before magistrate Rickie Burnett at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, charged with causing bodily harm to the boy. He was jailed for nine months.

The court heard that on Tuesday, November 7, sometime after 4 p.m., the child returned from school and met his stepfather at home. John asked the boy to see his books. He was told that the boy had homework, but he did not know how to do it.

The stepfather then asked the boy what was he going to school for, before proceeding to the child’s room to get a brown leather belt to beat him. The next day, when the boy attended school, the wounds on his body were noticed and the matter was reported to the police.

The boy’s mother is a Guyanese woman, who left the state on Monday, November 6, leaving her two children, a boy and a girl, in John’s care.

“I am going to file a case against him to get compensation for my youth man, not [for] me, said the child’s father.  

He added, “and the money that he get, he can open his own account and put it inside dey, so when he get old he know where he start from.”

Browne said he had already filed for custody of his son before the incident and the court hearing for that is on January 3, 2018. He said that he filed for custody of his daughter on Wednesday and this was not the first time that the children’s mother had left them.

“It is not the first time that she is doing this thing, go away and leave them. She go away and left them with my grandmother when she throw me out the house and then go away again and leave them, you have to say, on the street.

“When I saw him (his son), I was feel real stupid, but I can’t do nothing, so I report it to the police and if I did tek it in my hand, probably is me woulda dey down dey (jail) all now,” said Browne.

As it relates to the sentence handed down to the abuser by the court, Browne said that he does not think it was harsh enough.

He offered, “I am not the bigger head, so I have to go with the flow.”

He said he has both children living with him now and while the bruises have healed on his son, the marks are visible. The children are back in school and Browne said although his house is still under construction, he is pushing to have two rooms completed to accommodate them.

The court had also heard that Browne had bought a laptop for his daughter and her stepfather took it, placed a password on it and used it to play music.

Browne said the laptop is still with the police, as it is not turning on. He also reported that the children’s mother has not yet returned to the country.(CJ/LC)