Father bonded for abandoning two-year-old son

Yesterday, the child’s father, Michael Harewood, 36, appeared before a San Fernando magistrate charged with child abandonment.

The charge, as read by magistrate Alicia Chankar, is that Harewood neglected the child in a manner likely to cause the child suffering or injury to his physical, mental or emotional health. Harewood pleaded guilty after which prosecutor PC Cleyon Seedan read the facts to the court. He said PC Quinton Cupid and other police were on patrol at about 6.30pm when they saw the child on the road. Cupid asked the child his age but he remained silent.

The police made inquiries and was told the child’s mother, Vanessa Rebecca Mohammed, lived a few houses away.

When confronted, she told the police she had left the child in the care of his father.

Harewood was questioned and he said he left the child sleeping “for less than an hour. It was 20 minutes.” Harewood, a taxi driver, was arrested and taken to the Marabella Police Station where he was charged. In making a plea in mitigation on Harewood’s behalf, attorney Ainsley Lucky told Chankar the defendant acknowledged he did a stupid thing by leaving the child alone at home. He said Harewood left the child to go and buy food.

Lucky asked Chankar to admonish the father for his act of carelessness and not to impose a custodial sentence.