Man charged with assaulting child, ordered to pay

A 44-YEAR-OLD MAN who struck an 11-year-old boy with a piece of pipe was, was sentenced last Wednesday to pay compensation to his victim.

On Monday, August 31, the Serious Offences Court heard that Andy Williams had on Sunday August 30, assaulted the boy, a resident of Diamond Estate, causing him actual bodily harm.

On the afternoon in question, the child, along with his sister and a two year- old toddler went for a walk. The 11-year-old boy was carrying the toddler on his shoulder, and his sister was walking in front as the group made their way back home. At this point, Williams approached the young boy and struck him with a piece of pipe on his left side and said “Yo f***er yo.” The impact of the blow caused the 11-year-old to have to lean on some nearby galvanize fencing, and as he was falling, his sister turned around just in time to grab the toddler from around her brother’s shoulder.

Williams, a farmer of Diamond Estate, did not have any previous criminal convictions before the court.

Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne asked him “How old are you?” and the defendant responded that he was 44. “And he (the little boy) is 11,” the magistrate pointed out.

Williams commented that the boy was his family. In speaking to the court, he also mentioned that the 11-year-old had interfered with his belongings.

The magistrate advised him that if the child had interfered with his things, he could have spoken to his parents.

The defendant said something else which was inaudible, and the magistrate responded, “So you go and assault people children in the road with a pipe…” She pointed out the disparity in their ages to him.

Williams told the court that he apologized to the child.

“I don’t like abuse. This amounts to abuse, when I see the medical report, I hear the whole facts. You can’t do these things to children,” Browne said, before remanding him into custody while she considered his sentence.

When he returned before the court last week Wednesday, Williams was represented by defense lawyer Grant Connell. Among the points the lawyer made to the magistrate was that his client is “extremely remorseful for his actions”, and has no previous convictions. He also said that according to his instructions it was not intentional to cause injury.

Connell asked that if the court was minded to, Williams be placed on a bond.

The medical report for the victim apparently noted tenderness to the buttock region.

Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche reviewed that this was a child who was walking with his sister, “And when he (the defendant) inflicted the blow he say yo f***er you.” “How that could not be intentional?” he contemplated.

Turning to the defendant, the prosecutor asked him what was wrong with him, but Williams replied ‘Nothing’.

“So you just hit people child just so?,” Delplesche asked him. The defendant, after saying he wasn’t going to, once again apologized for the action.

“You apologise now but you cannot hit people’s child like that,” the prosecutor commented. “Steel! Steel you know?” he observed.

After considering the aggravating and mitigating factors of the case, the magistrate decided on compensation to the 11-year-old, to be paid with the same speed with which the defendant had inflicted the blow.

She stipulated that $300 be paid forthwith, or Williams would spend one month in prison.