Beaten teen seeks couple’s therapy over compensation
A senior parish judge was left bewildered when a 19-year-old complainant who was beaten by her 18-year-old boyfriend declined being compensated for the injuries she sustained, instead requesting that the judge order couple’s therapy for them.
Andrew Henningham was brought before Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court last Thursday for the offence of unlawful wounding, to which he pleaded guilty.
The court was told that on February 18, the complainant was returning home from a party with her friends when Henningham approached her, grabbed her from behind, and started to punch and kick her. A report was made to the police, which resulted in Henningham being arrested and charged.
“Why [are] you kicking the people’s girl child like a ball?” the judge asked. Henningham did not answer.
But when the judge was told that the complainant is “a bit frustrated with the accused and wants counselling”, she asked the teenager “why you nuh just leave him?”
This question was also not answered.
The judge went on to say that both of them may need counselling separately, but not necessarily as a couple.
At the same time, Henningham told the judge that they are still together and they are “not finish”.
He explained, “up to last week she come a mi yard. Mi an’ her still a deal.”
When asked if they are employed, both parties indicated that they are not.
“So how the two a unnu together? This is serious business now, you know, sometimes when you don’t go back to the root of what causes our social ills that translates into offences. If you have two people weh nah work, you a go have two people weh frustrated. Chances are you are going to have two people weh hungry and a look pan each other, and a hungry man is an angry man,” Cole-Montague said.
Notwithstanding this, the judge ordered that Henningham be the subject of a probation order for 18 months.
“I hope in that time you sort out yourself, sir; you too, madam,” Cole-Montague said.