By Latrishka Thomas
A child abuse case which has been in the Magistrate’s Court for almost three years has still not progressed despite the trial starting a year and a half ago.
The case involves a married couple who are accused of endangering their son when he was 15 by severely beating him.
The alleged incident occurred on July 28 2020 in Potters.
After a long wait, the trial against them finally began in October 2021.
And it consisted of testimony from the child who told the court that he had received 65 “strokes” from his father on one of his hands after his stepmother kept a tally of punishments that were due to him for alleged misdemeanors until his father could administer them.
He said that he typically got 15 to 20 lashes for serious wrongdoing.
But one night he got 65 blows which were compiled from things he’d apparently done while his father was away, he said.
He disclosed that he was being punished because he stole a donkey, lied, and did not stop his brother from taking a bucket that they used to hold cane before selling it.
Other witnesses, including a local resident plus a neighbour who reported the matter to the police, claimed to have seen the child with bruises.
But the couple insist that they did not abuse the teenager.
Since being adjourned in January this year, the trial has not moved forward for various reasons including unavailability of key players.
Last week it was again adjourned until June 8.
