Child Abuse & Murder News Thread

[TriniCana]

GIRL, 4, RAPED AND KILLED

Child raped, slain

Richard Charan rcharan@trinidadexpress.com
Wednesday, May 17th 2006
 
 
Chanadaye Basdeo, grandmother of four-year-old Amy Annamanthundo, reflects yesterday on life with her granddaughter. Amy was beaten to death on Monday night at her home (in background) in a squatting settlement near Harmony Hall, Marabella.

A four-year-old girl was tortured, raped, buggered and beaten on Monday night by two people she loved but no one answered little Amy Annamanthundo's screams.

Wrapped in a sheet soaked in blood oozing from her private parts, she was taken to hospital.

She was already dead when she got there.

Police were last night building a murder case against a woman who will be 19 years old next month. They already have evidence to charge a man in his 40s with murder.

The killing of Amy bears similarities to that of six-year-old Sean Luke, who was buggered to death in a canefield at Orange Valley, Central Trinidad in April.

On this occasion, however, several people knew of Amy's sad life, and at least one man claimed to have seen her tied up and being beaten in her family's home in a squatter settlement near Harmony Hall, Marabella, on the night she died.

The man, who did not want to be identified, said although he heard crying he did nothing because he thought a game was being played and that a doll was being beaten.

An autopsy at the Forensic Sciences Centre found that only Amy's face was spared from the torture she endured.

She died from multiple blunt force trauma from a beating that came from feet, fists and pieces of wood, police said.Before she died she was sexually assaulted and burnt over her body with lit cigarettes, the autopsy found.

Police also found evidence that have led them to believe that Amy was being sexually assaulted for some time.

The pathologist also found that Amy had a broken collarbone that was healing.

For the past year, Amy had lived at the broken-down house with people who were described as drug and alcohol addicted.

They could not be reached yesterday.

Before that, she was raised "from a baby" by her grandmother, Chanadaye Basdeo, until the police took her away and placed her in a home last year. She was returned to her mother after a court hearing.

Basdeo said she last saw Amy on May 7 when she had lunch with her to celebrate her fourth birthday.

The house where Amy died is a short walk from the Marabella Family Crisis Centre.

Ryan Hernandez, who lives in the area, said he saw the girl tumble down a staircase in the house in which she lived three days ago.

"She was screaming but nobody helped her," he said.

A neighbour, Sagan Maharaj, said he would often see the girl.

"She would be home late all hours of the night. No child supposed to get that kinda treatment. Children supposed to be your happiness," he said.

Maharaj said he heard "some sounds" coming from where Amy lived around 8.30 p.m. on Monday, but thought nothing of it "because people always fighting".

It was only early yesterday when homicide officers and detectives cordoned off the house that people knew something had happened.

Living a mile away at Mootoo Lands, Marabella, Amy's grandmother said she tried to make her granddaughter happy.

"From the time she was born, a pound-and-a-half, I mind she. When she was with me, she was happy. I don't know about when she leave here," Chanadaye Basdeo, 59, said.

"She could not talk much. She couldn't read or write. No kindergarten. Doctor said she would learn slow. But I did love her. I was her mother."

Amy spent five months at hospital after the police and social workers took her away, Basdeo said.

She said she spent every night with Amy, until she was removed to a home for children while a custody battle played out in court.

The woman in custody had two children who are dead-one when two days old, and the other at six months. She was said to be a brothel worker.

The man was described by police as the village thief who fought with residents and was disowned by his well-to-do family.

Basdeo witnessed the post- mortem of her granddaughter's body.

Police did not tell her how the infant died.

ASP Fitzgerald George is spearheading investigations.
 

[TriniCana]

Let them SWING....
I cyah stress on it no more...HANG dey mudda ass high man
steups

[Rastaman]

Oh GOD !!!!
What the F**k going on...!!!
What they eating dong there

[doh_stick]

Find de culprit shoot he C*nt on de spot doh ask no questions doh waste no jail space on him...
talk done..dat is de only way...des f*ckers have to know dey go die..have to deter dis shit

[Rastaman]

Everything in Trini is a fad. One get rape now you hearing bout all sorts... Tell me..what the F**k they could get out of a 4 yr old. Them kinda people supposed to resist arrest...and get shot end of story. It ent have no human rights when come to them kinda ting.
It don't even make no sence...Old people doing it Young people doing it.
I sure sex not that hard to get in Trinidad...Go f***ing Villa, Dads Dan, No shame in that....

[TriniCana]

Check dey Guardian.....
lemme go to work eh. meh day start off bad already 


http://www.guardian.co.tt/news1.html

[ndookie]

I with you on this one cana , hang them , i tired of this..

[Dutty]

Unless I read wrong

Is not a stranger do that, is the child own 'guardians'

Still just as heinous though

[grskywalker]

Read this in the express and was hurt to the core. WHAT THE F#$% IS GOING ON!

THE ONLY THING I AM HAPPY ABOUT IS THAT SHE IS BACK IN THE HANDS OF GOD AND WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO THIS EVIL

[rotatopoti3]

Oh lawd...is there NO SAFE places for children anymore?

[Pointman]

 ???what are we doing to ourselves? Ah doh undersand this

[Pasdah Beatz]

The Bible speaks of the end on times and says shit like this gonna happen... i'm at a stage where stuff like this don't fase me no more and when one can reach this stage we know that our society is gone. We sit and watch shit like this talk bout it and nine days later we forget about it. (Research shows that the average amount of time any piece of news stays in hte Trini papers is 9 days)... Well until it hits home.

We need to make a cry a petition tuh de legal system... but how could we, if we have a set ah little boys with 3 -5 five subjects in de police force. If they mind could retain only three subjects how cud these dumb @sse$$ retain any thing about a crime.

[Pasdah Beatz]

My moms retired as a Sargent in the Police force earlier this year. She was asked to stay until 60 but she told them no.. she said she cyar handle de folly that go on now in de force.. Man reaching late, no vehicles when matters come up cuz somebody joy riding in de police car or doing dey personal business. Mek it wuss jus muddahs day she was saying ashe glad she get out cuz de way them young boy stealing de weapons and shit

Meh peeps we have tuh pray, We country need it don't do it for your neighbour do it for yuh self cuz u ah trini too

[STEUPS!!]

GAS DEM AN LIGHT DEY MUDDERC**TS!!!!!!

 ah tired of dese animals continuin to roam d streets.

steups

bless!!

[capodetutticapi]

Unless I read wrong

Is not a stranger do that, is the child own 'guardians'

Still just as heinous though

yuh eh read wrong,dem people real possessed,ah cannot comprehend how yuh could abuse ah sweet innocent child.i have two girls 9 and 2,everyday i does prayer fuh them,PEOPLE WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR CHILDREN.NO CHILD DESERVE THIS.

[TriniCana]

ya know something

I woulda buss ah jail on dey grandmother self.

You telling me she didn't know what dey situation in that house was before ?
You telling me she ain't seeing marks on dat child skin or burns from cigarettes
You telling me dat either dey man was she son or dey girl she daughter, that ain't realize that they were addicts and that place wasn't good for  a 4 year old child ?

I'm sure she knows how to use ah phone and as right now know how to speak tur dey media. I'm sure she know where dey police station or dey hospital is.  Why why why is it that its only when the worst happen you see action.

I'm waiting fur the blasted committee to come out and say "Trinibagians we hadda walk round dey savannah fur the crime of this country" Flash allyuh car light, wear Black on Friday.

[capodetutticapi]

there is pictures of amy mother and de syphillitic fuk that took her life on de express.trust me dat fella,marlon king,will get it good while inside.

[warmonga]

there is pictures of amy mother and de syphillitic f**k that took her life on de express.trust me dat fella,marlon king,will get it good while inside.

mi know this fella.. But Mi nuh know sey him magga dung like dat now.. This yute and his breddas use to beat man jes for spite.. Nuff of his breddas is  locked  up now,  and some even dead.. He used to be a real bad man I aint tripping.. One of mi friend use to ride wid Marlon.  From bad man to this??  doh worry he go get it good in Jail.  I going to hail up mi Partner now and inform him bout this Bullshit!!!!!!!
warmonga..
no trial mi sey fi hang him up high!!!!!!!!!!!!

[trinindian]

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,37865.html
 
Cry children molested
Tuesday, May 23 2006

FOUR of the ten children housed at the Cry Foundation home, Claxton Bay, were sexually assaulted, police sources stated yesterday.

The medical examination conducted on the children on Friday last, revealed that a boy had been buggered and three girls sexually assaulted at the home.

Last week, police were forced to intervene, following a tip-off that the children were being sexually molested, by having them removed to the St Mary’s Children’s Home in Tacarigua. Yesterday, a police report stated that based on medical reports, two of the girls whose ages range between 12 to 14, were sexually assaulted. The report stated that a ten-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy, were about three weeks ago, sexually assaulted.

Police investigators have submitted the medical report to Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Winston Cooper. Couva Senior Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Cesar on Friday granted an application petitioned by the police and medical social worker Vashti Raghbir, to make the Foundation’s ten children wards of the State. The order will expire on June 9. Attempts to speak to the home’s administrator were futile.



HORROR HOME

Two children raped, two molested at CRY facility

Richard Charan rcharan@trinidadexpress.com


Tuesday, May 23rd 2006
 
 
 Four children removed by police last week from a home for abandoned and neglected children were found to have been raped or molested while there, police said yesterday.

Ten children were removed from the home last Thursday following complaints of molestation and filthy living conditions.

A medical examination of the children last Friday found that two girls, aged 12 and 14, had sexual intercourse recently.

A ten-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy had physical scars from their molestation.

The rape of the 12-year-old was reported to the St Margaret's Police Station three weeks ago but not investigated, the Daily Express was told.

Acting Deputy Commissioner, Operations, Winston Cooper, confirmed the report yesterday.

He said investigators were trying to determine when the sex attacks happened and who were the people responsible.

"Once we have the evidence, these people will face the courts," he said.

The abused children, given up by their parents, were living at Gracious Home, Claxton Bay, operated by the Care and Responsibility for Youth (CRY) organisation. The home re-opened four weeks ago, after receiving funding from corporate citizens.

Couva police officers moved in last week after discovering that the children had no adult supervision from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., had to walk for 45 minutes to get to school and crawled through a fence to get into the compound of the home.

A night-time caregiver at the home told police that the home had no running water, was overrun with roaches, rats and worms and had little food.

Insp Norbert Sookram ordered that the children be immediately removed after investigating the home.

The children are now at a children's home in Tacarigua.

Police plan to question them.
 
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=160951833

[futbolfan]

SACRAMENTO - The state Legislature is about to weigh in on a question that stirs impassioned debate among moms and dads: Should parents spank their children?

Assembly woman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View, wants to outlaw spanking children up to 3 years old. If she succeeds, California would become the first state in the nation to explicitly ban parents from smacking their kids.

Making a swat on the behind a misdemeanor might seem a bit much for some -- and the chances of the idea becoming law appear slim, at best -- but Lieber begs to differ.

``I think it's pretty hard to argue you need to beat a child 3 years old or younger,'' Lieber said. ``Is it OK to whip a 1-year-old or a 6-month-old or a newborn?''

The bill, which is still being drafted, will be written broadly, she added, prohibiting ``any striking of a child, any corporal punishment, smacking, hitting, punching, any of that.'' Lieber said it would be a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail or a fine up to $1,000, although a legal expert advising her on the proposal said first-time offenders would probably only have to attend parenting classes.

The idea is encountering skepticism even before it's been formally introduced. Beyond the debate among child psychologists -- many of whom believe limited spanking can be effective -- the bill is sure to face questions over how practical it is to enforce and opposition from some legislators who generally oppose what they consider ``nanny government.''

``Where do you stop?'' asked Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, who said he personally agrees children under 3 shouldn't be spanked but has no desire to make it the law. ``At what point are we going to say we should pass a bill that every parent has to read a minimum of 30 minutes every night to their child? This is right along those same lines.''

One San Jose mother of three said she believes spanking is a poor way to discipline children, but she also wondered whether a legislative ban makes sense. Should a mom who slaps her misbehaving kid in the supermarket, she asked, be liable for a crime?

``If my 6-year-old doesn't put his clothes in the hamper, I'm not going to whack him. He just won't get his clothes washed,'' said Peggy Hertzberg, 38, who teaches parenting classes at the YWCA. ``I think instead of banning spanking, parents need to learn different ways of disciplining and redirecting their children.''

Lieber conceived the idea while chatting with a family friend and legal expert in children's issues worldwide. The friend, Thomas Nazario, said that while banning spanking might seem like a radical step for the United States, more than 10 European countries already do so. Sweden was the first, in 1979.

Nazario said there's no good rationale for hitting a child under 3, so the state should draw a ``bright line'' in the law making it clear.

``Why do we allow parents to hit a little child and not someone their own size?'' asked Nazario, a professor at the University of San Francisco Law School. ``Everyone in the state is protected from physical violence, so where do you draw the line? To take a child and spank his little butt until he starts crying, some people would define that as physical violence.''

It's unclear how a spanking ban would be enforced. Most slapping, after all, happens in the confines of a home, and most children up to age 3 aren't capable of reporting it.

Doctors, social workers and others who believe a child has been abused are required by law to report it to authorities. Nazario said he and Lieber are still debating whether to treat slapping the same way, or simply to encourage those who witness it to report it. But in either case, said Lieber, the law ``would allow people who view a beating to say, `Excuse me, that's against the law.' ''

Experts in child psychology disagree over whether spanking is a legitimate or effective way for parents to discipline their children. Professor Robert Larzelere, who has studied child discipline for 30 years, said his research shows spanking is fine, as long as it's used sparingly and doesn't escalate to abuse.

``If it's used in a limited way,'' the Oklahoma State University professor said, ``it can be more effective than almost any other type of punishment.'' He added that children 18 months old or younger shouldn't be spanked at all, because they can't understand why it's happening.

As for Lieber's proposal, the professor said: ``I think this proposal is not just a step too far, it's a leap too far. At least from a scientific perspective there really isn't any research to support the idea that this would make things better for children.''

But Lieber is optimistic that lawmakers will find her proposal hard to resist. For the record, she does not have children and says she was not slapped as a child. But she does have a cat named Snoop, which her veterinarian told her never to hit.

``And if you never hit a cat,'' Lieber said, ``you should never hit a kid.''

[truetrini]

never beat ah child

[TriniCana]

only in america yes  

when are dey going to pass ah legislation for parents abuse???
wha age should you stop the child from hitting parents and cussing them?

so doh beat err sorry ah mean spank the child until he/she reaches 3 ?
well den dat go hadda be child abuse...that is 3 years of built up anger..datz jail.

americans need to know the differences between, scolding, ABUSE and discipling a child.
furthermore i want to see a trini child tell he trini mudda he going and call dey poilce cause she clout him....ah sure she would get 2 plane tickets, take him back to trinidad, cut he ass and den back to america.

[Mr Fix-it]

Dem men real stupid.  In NY my sista was getting trouble from she children and dey call de cops on her.  When dey show up and my sista tell dem what is de scene dem police tell she dat she could beat dem jus doh kill dem LOL

[WestCoast]

allya HAVE TO watch dis video of Russell Peters, a Canadian comedian
Immigrant parents and beating kids 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzKHQX59Wso
"somebody goin an get a hurt real bad" 
it IS funny, but I have to say I hope it does not trivialise this serious situation

[TriniCana]

for dey life ah me ah cyah understand dey meaning ah "time out"
go to your bedroom and stay dey fur 5 hours until ya know how to behave ya self..
but yet in dey bedroom have TV, DVD, playstation, cellphone, computer and Ipod.

you go out wid dem, dey ready to throw tantrum and embarrass ya tail....turning around with ah grin telling everybody "oh he just upset".

gone into dey mall and he decide he going and throw down all dey people ting off dey shelf cause he ain't get "call of duty" game cause it done... den he start to bawl down dey place, den you like ah jackass stand up dere saying "doh cry harry..mummy would get you icecream"

LOOK NAH 

All it taking is one ah your eye meeting up with both ah he own...no words, but ah sure he'll get dey message for the activity dat coming tur he tail when he reach home.

How much ah we get cutarse and survived to see another day. My mother didn't scold me because she was venting out frustration or she was an abusive woman...she cut meh ass cause I useta fight and just plain bad in school.  BUT AH STOP after  dey 3rd cut arse tho. 

good memories yes...

[Bourbon]

What they fail to realise is that a cutass cannot be distributed for the slightest whim and fancy. The child will get immune. Any child dat i responsible hadda be prepared to cut dey cards straight or be prepared for a cutass. I will talk to you let you know...dont do that....or else you will get licks. When i pull that belt...i explaining why yuh ass going and get cut now.....and den i delivering on my promise. Simple. Follow the rules.....things nice. Dont....well....yuh eh go enjoy it. Licks in conjunction with other measures are very effective in my opinion. Then they wonder why children acting up so. No sense of knowing order and knowing their place. Then again....a good bit of parents same way...and you cant expect a goat to make a sheep............

[truetrini]

allyuh want anyone hit allyuh?

why hit ah child?

[pecan]

What they fail to realise is that a cutass cannot be distributed for the slightest whim and fancy. The child will get immune. Any child dat i responsible hadda be prepared to cut dey cards straight or be prepared for a cutass. I will talk to you let you know...dont do that....or else you will get licks. When i pull that belt...i explaining why yuh ass going and get cut now.....and den i delivering on my promise. Simple. Follow the rules.....things nice. Dont....well....yuh eh go enjoy it. Licks in conjunction with other measures are very effective in my opinion. Then they wonder why children acting up so. No sense of knowing order and knowing their place. Then again....a good bit of parents same way...and you cant expect a goat to make a sheep............

your technique is effective ... but here is de question

1) if yuh coud achieve de same outcome without a cutass .. would you consider dat alternative?

<edit> .. .corporal punishment says that violence is acceptable in situations defined by a person in authority.  de child has no say and becomes de victim.

[WestCoast]

allyuh want anyone to hit allyuh?
why hit ah child?

that right there is the defining decision that MANY adults who beat their children have to answer,  No PHDesque type of debate, just very simple and to the point.
Thanks for that TT
some do take it beyond cruelty........I am sure we all know some situations
examples are, calpets, pulling their ears, and slaps which are just unnecessary most times.
people need a licence to drive a car, yet ANYONE can be a parent

[TriniCana]

Bourbon well said

give me an alternative pecan cause i would really want to know.
"time out" not working
therapy not working
And parents don't have the time to sit down with their kids anymore. both working, both have their own mental fatigue to deal with. One parent in the study, the other making supper. Both have to get up early in the morning.

The older generation in this forum...none of allyuh cyah tell me allyuh didn't get a cutarse for answering back, coming home late, cussing and not cleaning up your room.  In your time, what did you call it: abuse of discipline ??

pecan change meh way of thinking sir