By Latrishka Thomas
Emotions ran high in a courtroom yesterday as a mother recounted the significant impact of her daughter’s unlawful confinement.
The incident in question took place two years ago when Duffield Destin held the 12-year-old girl in his car against her will.
The mother of the now 14-year-old shared that after the incident, “she didn’t want to go outside. She didn’t go to school for a whole week. She didn’t even want to go in the backyard. She felt threatened by anyone who touched her or any car that slowed down next to her.”
The mother added that her daughter continues to take note of the licence plates of vehicles that drive slowly close to her. She also mentioned that her Christian daughter remains fearful of men and expresses a desire not to get married and her biggest fear is that Destin may come back again.
“I am still in fear that one day she won’t come back home,” the mother revealed, stating that to ensure her daughter’s safety, she does not allow her to go out alone.
Despite receiving counselling from her school and family members, the teenager struggles to discuss the incident. However, the mother expressed that on a positive note, her child continues to excel in school.
The emotional testimony moved the court, with the judge offering a message for the woman to convey to her daughter, which was “the incident does not have to define her”.
The witness told the convict that her daughter forgives him but hopes she doesn’t have to see him again.
At the time of the incident, the child was walking from her Golden Grove home to meet her aunt when it began to rain. Seeking shelter, she entered a shop, but while there, she noticed her aunt’s car passing by. When the rain stopped, she waited outside the shop, hoping that her aunt would return. When her aunt did not appear, she began walking back home.
On her way, she noticed a car parked on the side of the road with its engine running. As she walked past, the defendant, who was 42 years old at the time, grabbed her by the throat and threatened to harm her if she disclosed the incident to anyone. He tried to force her into the car, and although she struggled and resisted, she was unable to free herself.
She managed to partially escape by opening the car door, but he held onto her. A passerby noticed the girl’s feet hanging out of the car, saw the struggle and approached the vehicle. When he got close, he heard the girl’s cries for help and saw the defendant holding her hand and apparently thumping her.
When questioned, Destin claimed the girl had run away from home, and he was taking her back.
The child continued to plead for help, and the passerby intervened and freed her from the defendant’s grasp. The accused then threatened the man before he sped away in his car.
The girl quickly ran home and shared the incident with her mother, who had been searching for her.
The police were contacted, and with the assistance of surveillance footage and the Good Samaritan, the were able to locate the defendant.
Destin pleaded guilty to the offence over a week ago and maintained that the ordeal was not premeditated but rather the result of his frustration while looking for someone who owed him $10,000.
He had been searching for the debtor for several months and decided to scope out a location owned by the debtor’s family but claimed he was unaware whether or not the girl was related to the person he was searching for.