PORTLAND, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness lamented the recent beating of a 14-year-old girl in Clarendon as he addressed the media at Berrydale, Portland on Thursday, during a tour of damaged roads in the eastern section of the parish.

Holness was responding to a question raised regarding the proposed ministry of crime and violence.

“I saw a terrible video of a young lady being circulated and I was very distressed, very distressed by this kind of savage violence being unleashed on a child by adults who seem to have no faculty of understanding that this is something that should not be done,” Holness said. “And even after they were taken away, it is as if they have done nothing wrong. It confounds me how people can be so brutish to each other. It is worrisome,” he stated.

Six females, aged 15 to 52, are currently in police custody awaiting charges for their involvement in a mob attack on the teen. The genesis of the incident is reportedly linked to a love triangle, although the victim herself was not directly part of the romantic dispute.

READ: Six females in custody after attack on 14-y-o

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) says that it has been made aware of the incident and are currently investigating the matter. It also said it stands ready to provide the necessary support to the child and her family, in keeping with its mandate.

Everard Owen