‘Mind my baby’

“I leaving the child in their hands (the government) you know,” Abraham said. “I can’t go and take this next child and give my mother it. She done down in age already,” he added as he asked the Government to mind his baby.

Abraham, 53, was speaking with Newsday yesterday at Farm Road, St Joseph, a short distance from the shack on the banks of the St Joseph River which he shares with his common law wife and mother of the child, 34 year-old Crystal Dennis.

Dennis had given birth on the pavement, along the Priority Bus Route, on June 2 as she made her way with Abraham for transportation to take her to the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital, and later to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC). The birth was videotaped by a passer- by and went viral on social media. Chief of Staff at the Women’s Hospital, Dr Karen Sohan, had previously reported that the baby was beautiful and healthy.

Dennis, who was discharged from EWMSC earlier this week, has repeatedly stated that she wants to take her child home with her, while Abraham has said that the child should go to live with his mother after whom the baby has been named. His mother is already caring for the couple’s two girls aged 11 and six, while his five year old son was staying with his sister. Abraham said yesterday, however, that he will not take the new born baby girl to his mother but leave her to Government services.

He revealed that he has been with Dennis for about 17 years and they have always had problems. He claims to have asked her to leave on several occasions. “All how I run she, she come back. I not able to deal with that,” he said. He said that his wife’s parents are alive but they are are not aby jble to help her. He reported that Government officials visited them this week and offered a house and food card but his wife “cussed them”.

He suggested that his wife wanted nothing from anyone and he was not at all positive about the children being with her. Dennis was not at home when Newsday visited yesterday and could not be reached for comment.

Minister of Gender, Youth and Child Development, Clifton De Coteau on Thursday stated that a report on the baby was expected to be completed today. He informed Newsday yesterday via e- mail that he is still awaiting the official report on “Baby Cecelia”.He reported that the Children’s Authority made contact with the Social Work Department at Mt Hope as soon as the story broke. He also reported that on June 5 the Deputy Director of the Children’s Authority visited Mt Hope and met with the manager of the Social Work Department to get first hand information on the case. “The Children’s Authority has been following up with them since then and received an update as recent as last (Thursday) night,” the Minister said.

De Coteau explained that “according to the Authority’s protocol once the Medical Social Work Department at the hospital completes its assessment and the child is deemed to be in care and protection, then the case is expected to be referred by the Medical Social Department to the Children’s Authority”.

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"‘Mind my baby’"

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