A man who threatened to kill his father was on Friday ordered to undergo drug rehabilitation when he was brought before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Lorenzo Gravesande, 26, of 43 First Street, Alberttown, pleaded guilty to three charges when they were read to him.
The charges stated that on July 17 at Georgetown, the defendant unlawfully assaulted Phillip Gravesande, his father, and made use of abusive and threatening language to the said complainant.
The prosecution said that it is a norm for the defendant to threaten his father. On the day in question, the virtual complainant [VC] returned home after being away for two weeks as a result of the defendant’s threatening behaviour.
On his arrival home, the VC saw a dirty plate in the bathroom and placed it in the sink. His son, who was in the kitchen, picked up the plate and attempted to break it but was immediately stopped by his father.
The defendant then became annoyed and threatened to murder his father and “get his blood flowing like a goat.”
The prosecution said further that the VC became afraid and left the room, but was followed by his son, who began abusing him. As the VC was about to leave the house, his son dealt him a cuff behind his neck.
The elder Gravesande reported the matter to the Ruimveldt Police Station and the defendant was arrested and charged.
Gravesande who was in tears accepted the prosecution’s facts but denied cuffing his father and having placed the plate in the bathroom, which he said “was in there for quite some time.”
His father said that they had appeared before the court before and were placed on a bond. He told the court that the problem had been going on for about a year, during which time he tried to get his son to go to the Probation Office but he kept on refusing.
The man also told the court that he pleaded with his son to seek psychiatric treatment because “he smokes what he calls `brain food’ and explodes and breaks up stuff.”
The magistrate then ordered Lorenzo to undergo drug rehabilitation and professional help with a probation officer to repair the relationship with his father, who wants his son to remain living with him.
