The Department of Education’s weekly truancy campaign in Region Five ended abruptly on Tuesday when a relative of one of the truants reportedly assaulted a School’s Welfare Officer.
Avril Benn, 53, of Hosanna Street, Rosignol appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore at the Fort Wellington Court yesterday charged with assaulting Rondetta Dublin. The alleged incident occurred around 10 am.
She pleaded not guilty and was released on $5,000 bail.
She is expected to return to the Blairmont Court on September 26.
Attorney-at-law, Horatio Edmondson, representing the defendant, made a successful application for bail. He told the magistrate that his client is a mother of seven and an “upstanding citizen” with no previous charges.
The lawyer said too that there is no reason for Benn not to attend court and that she is not a flight risk.
Police Prosecutor, Inspector Grace Bristol, did not object to bail.
After learning that Dublin was reportedly assaulted for picking up school-aged children during school hours, the magistrate commented that “they [children] must love her.”
Bristol told the court that other persons were also involved in the assault and that is also being investigated.
The prosecutor informed the court that Benn’s charges were filed because she had been taken into custody for the offence.
Based on further questions from the magistrate, the prosecutor said two police officers who accompanied the team tried to “intervene but could not have controlled the situation.” Ranks from the Fort Wellington Station then had to be summoned.
Magistrate Moore then commented that that was a “sad state of affairs in the Guyana Police Force”.
Attorney-at-law, Joel Persid Edmond, informed the court that he was also “looking at the interest of the virtual complainant.”
