The Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court was told on Tuesday that a man who pleaded guilty to child abuse was remanded after it was revealed that he allegedly threatened the child’s mother in the presence of the police.

Damion Johnson, 37, told Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montagie that “Mi just chuck her from in front mi,” because his stepdaughter was jeering him after they had an argument on January 27.

Although the age of the child was not revealed, the court was told that on the day of the incident, Johnson was ill and took medication, which caused him to sweat profusely, resulting in him turning on the fan. Shortly after, the child came in and unplugged the fan, which started an argument when he demanded that she turn on the fan, and she refused.

The child reportedly started jeering him and he “chucked her”.

“But that’s not the appropriate way to deal with a child,” the judge chided.

The prosecution revealed that he was not offered station bail because he threatened the child in the presence of the police.

He allegedly said that her “family can’t help her.”

Outraged, Cole-Montague said, “The police’s presence should mean something… we have normalised bad behaviour. We have minimised the effect of what can happen when people mistreat [someone] and that is why I believe as a country we [are] so angry. Everybody head hot because we are always in this defensive mode.”

Revealing that she has already moved out of the man’s house, the child’s mother told the judge that she wanted him to go to counselling.

“I am more concerned about your daughter,” Cole-Montague said.

She added: “Sometimes these things happen and we don’t know the effect that it has on the children. Sometimes when young girls don’t have the type of relationship that they have with their fathers, [and] any little idiot out a road tell them foolishness and them tek it.”

The man was ordered to return to court on March 7, and a social enquiry report was ordered for him before he is to be sentenced.

“I think you need a little more time to cool your head,” the judge told him. “I realise the citizens of this country, they don’t have any respect…”

Her statement was interrupted when she observed Johnson glaring intensely at the woman.

She advised him to stop, then said, “We have to go back to the place where the court means something.”

However, minutes after he was escorted out of the courtroom, Johnson was hauled back in by a police officer. The officer told the judge that while Johnson was being taken away he threatened the mother by saying, “watch weh mi a go do her when mi see her.”

Johnson denied this. He told the judge that he was simply “grumbling” but he didn’t recall what he was saying.

“The court is a place where people must humble themselves. Imagine me just talk to you…So, I did the right thing by remanding you for a longer time,” the judge said.

“I have no problem driving the hard messages home. Take him and let us see if this second attempt he will be humble,” she added.

Johnson was then quietly removed from the courtroom.