A mother told New Amsterdam Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus that she was fed up with the behaviour of her daughter, who would always leave home without permission, and that it was her daughter who had encouraged sexual assault accused Sherwin Thomas.
Thomas, 19, appeared at the New Amsterdam Court charged with sexual assault, and denied touching a 15-year-old girl inappropriately.
He was subsequently ordered to post $15,000 bail, but was instead taken to the nearby New Amsterdam Prison, after he was unable to do so, having been denied a phone call to his relatives.
The defendant had asked police officers in the courtroom for a phone call to inform his relatives that he had to post bail, but they told him that their cellular phones were out of credit.
Earlier, Thomas had told the court that he lived with his father who is confined to bed, having had a stroke, while his mother died a few years ago.
Meanwhile, the mother of the virtual complainant said her daughter’s habit of leaving home without permission, occurred again on March 20, last.
The woman said she is a vendor who works at night and after business was slow that evening, she returned home to find Thomas and her daughter seated on the backstairs landing with a blanket partially covering them. The girl was rebuked, but she ran away.
Subsequently, a report was made to the Central Police Station, and it was at approximately 01:30 hrs, the following day that the fourth former returned home.
She was taken to the Central Police Station where a charge of wandering was instituted.
Before the court, the teen said she had left with Thomas, but did not tell her mother so, as she was not at home. She was then remanded to the juvenile holding centre until March 31.
