A woman was last Tuesday charged with slapping her 17-year-old brother-in-law, after he was accused of hitting her daughter.
Peggy Bynoe, of Sophia, pleaded guilty to slapping Junior Bynoe, who was also charged with assaulting her.
According to attorney Paul-Fung-A-Fat, Junior, his client, had intervened when a fight broke out between his two-year-old niece and Peggy’s seven-year-old son.
Peggy told city magistrate Ann McLennan that she had just returned home from classes and observed physical injuries on her child’s face. When she asked her daughter what had happened, the girl said her uncle slapped her because she accidently made the two-year-old fall.
Junior, Peggy added, stormed out from another room and started cursing her. According to Peggy, Junior said he had barely touched the girl on her jaw.
She said she told Junior that she would complain to the child’s father but Junior responded and said the father can’t do anybody anything and she could do what she wanted. He then proceeded to pelt her with a Coke bottle. The woman said this irritated her and she rushed into him and fired two slaps.
She said it was not the first time such an incident has happened but her hands were tied because she has classes to attend and nowhere else to leave her child.
Magistrate McLennan told the woman her child is priority and she cannot attend classes and leave her child in an abusive home. She told her that she is at fault and she can be charged for neglecting that child.
“You can’t be slapping a child, that’s child abuse,” the magistrate told Peggy. She added “Nobody is saying a child must not be disciplined, but you have to know the difference.”
Junior had offered to withdraw his complaint against his sister and as a result the woman was discharged. She was also bonded to keep the peace or face 12 months imprisonment.
Fung-A-Fat said Junior would also be keeping the peace but the magistrate told him Peggy was still offering evidence against his client for pelting her with a Coke bottle and his case cannot be dismissed. The man was then placed on $2,000 bail and bonded to keep the peace.
