Young man pleads guilty to hitting mother

An “angry” 18-year-old who physically assaulted his mother when she tried to prevent him from going at his siblings with a knife is today spending his first night of a six-month stay at Dodds.

And although Doniko Keron Chase, of Foursquare, St Philip has not apologized to his parent for cuffing her about the body and face resulting in a bruise to her lip, he cried after being told by Magistrate Elwood Watts that he was sentenced to time for the offence and for an unpaid fine imposed last December.

The teen pleaded guilty before Magistrate Watts to unlawfully assaulting his mother on March 21.

The District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court, sitting at Oistins, heard that Chase was involved in an argument with a sibling and slapped her phone out of her hand. A fight broke out and he went to the kitchen and armed himself with a knife. According to Sergeant St Clair Philips his mother intervened at that point and took him to the bedroom to have him calm down. While there however the teenager began to punch her about the body and face bruising her lower lip. The matter was reported to police and he was arrested that same night.

Asked whether he knew of the Commandment “Honour thy father and they mother: that thy days may be long upon the land”, Chase replied “Yes . . . . I was vex the morning. I wake up feeling a little vex.”

The unemployed teen explained that he had asked for money and his mother told him to request it from his younger sister. However when the sibling gave him $10 he “pelt it” as he wanted $15 to buy marijuana, Fanta and a lighter because the previous one had run out of fuel.

He further explained that while he was walking away he heard his sister quarreling and “cursing me” so he walked up to her and hit the phone out of her hand. His older brother who was there intervened, causing him to head to the kitchen for the knife.

“But my big sister take it from me. My mother try to hold me back and I hit she back, got on the bike and left to cool down,” Chase said.

Magistrate Watts made it clear that he had no right hitting his mother as she was only trying to restrain him.

“Your response, instead of calming down, was to cuff her in her face. See how your days are going to be short?”

The mother meanwhile who was present, told the court she was frighten of her son especially when he is angry. “When he does not get the drugs that he wants . . . he does brek up things in the house, windows, fan, TV,” she explained adding that she gives him the money in order to have peace. She was taken to task by the magistrate for her comment.

“He needs to get some help,” the mother further stated.

The magistrate was also informed that Chase had not paid a $300 fine imposed last December which had to be honoured in six seeks.

Taking into consideration the unpaid fine and the assault on his mother Chase was sentenced to six months in prison.

“You had no right hitting your mother,” the magistrate said as he delivered the ruling and Chase began to cry and became unruly for which he received a strong verbal reprimand from Watts.