St Michael man gets time serve for assaulting minor

An apologetic Timothy Paul Sobers says he did not know it was an offence to touch a minor in the manner in which he did last month.

“All I want to say is that I sorry due to the fact that I didn’t know that it would be an offence . . . for all my years . . . I never come across nobody charging nobody for nothing like that. I would just like to say that I sorry,” the 2nd Avenue Sealy Land, Bank Hall, St Michael resident said today.

The 40-year-old Sobers was standing in line at a supermarket on November 7 when saw a five-year-old girl and rubbed her on the head saying, “sweet girl you good?” He pleaded guilty to the charge on his first appearance in court and has been on remand for the past 28 days.

He returned before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today where the child’s mother requested counselling for her. The parent told the court she had approached an institution for such help but was told that organisation did not counsel children under the age on seven.

The mother’s request was granted.

Sobers’ attorneys Latisha Springer and Martie Garnes urged the court to convict, reprimand and discharge him on the charge as he had not wasted judicial time and pleaded guilty on the first opportunity for the simple assault.

“In the 28 days spent on remand he had time to think and change his mindset. My client has expressed a significant amount of contrition to the minor. He understands that the child has had a traumatic experience, however there was no malice towards the child and he just saw it as a friendly gesture,” Springer said.

Magistrate Cuffy-Sargeant sentenced Sobers to time served, for the 28 days already spent on remand.