A 17-year-old North Ruimveldt girl who threatened to poison her mother’s food and later charged her with assault was yesterday placed on one-year probation when she appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Anastasia Christian of Lot 25 Kaikan Street, North Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to her, stating that on July 7 she made use of threatening language to her mother, Jacqueline Christian, and also unlawfully and maliciously assaulted her.
Prosecutor Simone Payne said that on the day in question, Jacqueline gave her daughter $100 for her to go out and collect some money and return.
About 17:50 hours, there was no sign of the defendant and Jacqueline left work and after returning home she inquired why her daughter had not brought the money.
Anastasia, with a hostile attitude, then said that she was sleeping and in handing the money over her hand struck her mother in the face.
Her mother then told her “your eyes pass me” and hit her in return. A scuffle then ensued and the defendant threatened to poison her mother if she should ask her to cook.
The mother reported the matter to the North Ruimveldt Police Station and her daughter was later arrested and told of the offences.
After the arrest, Anastasia also made a report against her mother.
When asked to speak, the mother who appeared very disheartened related to the court her difficulties with Anastasia, after pleading guilty to assaulting her.
The security guard said that “she [Anastasia] has a way that when I tell her to do something for me, she has an attitude.” She said the morning in question Anastasia had rudely requested money to purchase three yards of cloth that she needed for a course offered by the Ministry of Culture.
She said she gave her daughter $100 to go and uplift money from her aunt and return, and she would then be given some of it to purchase the cloth.
The woman related to the court that she had a confrontation with Anastasia upon her return home, which turned into a fight.
“I inquired whether she went for the money and she said ‘No!’ and flung the money in my face, hitting my face.
So I hit her back and told her she getting disrespectful. With that she gave me one cuff to the side of my eye and I fell into the chair and she come over me and start cuffin me…and picked up bottle and wood to lash me…”
The fight ended up in the yard at which point the neighbours intervened.
The daughter was heard saying “loose she, loose she! I wan lash she and kill she!,” Jacqueline told the court.
The magistrate then wondered “who really is the parent.”
“I told her I does feed and clothe you…I am mother and father to Anastasia”, the mother said.
After hearing the case, the magistrate advised that “you have to bend the tree when it is young. Inculcate values from when the child is small.”
The court ordered a one-year probation for both of them so they could repair their relationship.
The magistrate told the 17-year-old to hug and apologise to her mother, which she did before saying “I would never do it again.”
