The relatives of a 13-year-old boy who was charged in October with attempted murder say the boy’s rights were violated after he was locked up for four days with adults.
The boy’s mother told Stabroek News that her son’s constitutional rights were also violated when he was asked to give a statement in her absence.
The boy was taken into police custody on October 27 after he reportedly stabbed a classmate to the forehead with a screwdriver. Since then, his rights have been violated multiple times, his mother said.
The woman explained that her son was taken to the Turkeyen Police Station on October 27 before she was contacted. After she was contacted, she quickly made her way there. However, on her arrival she learnt that her son had already given a statement in her absence, an incorrect statement-taking procedure.
“The police did not tell my son that he has a right not to give a statement. He was told that he had to give a statement. As a 13-year-old he doesn’t know anything about the law and he was told that he had to sign it,” the angry woman said.
Attempts to contact Commander of C Division Christopher Griffith for a comment were all unsuccessful.
The boy’s mother further claimed that her son was subsequently taken to the Beterverwagting Police Station that evening and she was not allowed to accompany him there. She later went to the station on her own with some items to give to him. However, she was only allowed to leave the items but not see her son.
According to the mother, she was told that the juvenile centre was full and he would instead be kept at the BV station. She added that she was told that the station was used for juveniles so she did not find it strange that her son was being kept there.
She further said that attempts to speak with her son at the station were futile; many times she would carry food to him but would not be allowed to give it to him directly.
The mother also expressed displeasure at the police’s lack of communication. Her son was taken to court one day after the stabbing, also without her knowledge.
On her son’s court date, the woman explained that she went to the station but no one there could give her word on where her son was. An officer told her that she could check the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court to see what was happening with her son’s matter; on her arrival there she was fortunate enough to see her son. However, she had been unaware that he would be attending court.
He was remanded by the magistrate and, on October 31, he was finally taken to the juvenile centre.
However, he was reportedly attacked by another juvenile while at the centre. She was only able to learn of her son’s plight last Thursday, the day before he was scheduled to appear in court again. He was granted bail on that occasion.
When finally allowed to speak with his mother, the boy informed her that he had been kept with adults at the BV station and had not been allowed to bathe for four days. He had also told his mother that he had been forced to sleep on the concrete ground of the cell.
The mother is unsure of what she is going to do about her son’s abuse and stated that she will consult with her lawyer before making her next move.
“I am so upset because my son was victimized… I’m just stressed out and frustrated and angry and everything,” the woman said.
