Richard Holder, 17, was yesterday remanded to prison after his mother had an outburst in court about the brutality that she experienced at his hands.

Holder, of Independence Bolivar, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court charged with unlawfully wounding two neighbours and damaging one of their cell phones after a dispute. From his surprised expression, he was not expecting his mother’s allegations.

Holder pleaded guilty to the charges of malicious damage to property, unlawful wounding and assault causing bodily harm. He admitted that on March 5, at Independence Bolivar, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Elizabeth Mohabir and that he also unlawfully and maliciously damaged her cellular phone, valued $25,000. He also admitted that on the same day he unlawfully assaulted Samantha Lall, so as to cause her actual bodily harm.

Mohabir stated that Lall is her cousin and that on the day of the incident she was only trying to protect her from being further assaulted by Holder. She related that she was on the upper flat of her two-storey home when her aunt came running to her and told her that Holder was beating Lall.

She said that when she ran downstairs she noticed that Lall’s hand was bleeding and that Holder was holding a cutlass. She inquired about what was going on, only to be told by her cousin that Holder had beaten her because she was asking him about a missing cellular phone.

When she started scolding Holder for hitting Lall, she said, he turned on her and dealt her a blow to her back, shoulder, and a chop to her left leg.

She said that after the beating, Holder fled to his home.

The boy’s mother stood with him outside the dock of the courtroom and it was only after Mohabir’s revelations that she related her experiences of her son’s brutality towards her. The woman, who was now crying, stated in a shaken voice that she was beaten by her son after she asked him to help her to cut chicken in the kitchen. The woman then pulled aside her jersey and revealed several dark marks across her chest which she said was inflicted by her son while he was punching her.

She said that she made a report about the incident four days ago at the Police Station and that he is yet to be charged for that. She said she was afraid of his violent behaviour.

The magistrate remanded Holder and ordered that he be also taken to the Probation Office. The case is to be called again on May 4.