The Vermont woman who is charged with burning a 12-year-old girl on her vagina has been granted bail.
Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne granted the woman, Josette Garraway, EC$12,000 bail with one surety on Wednesday, two days after the prosecution maintained its objection to bail.
Garraway, who has been in custody since late August when she was charged, was scheduled to return to court on Monday for further bail review.
At the previous hearing on Monday, prosecutor Inspector of Police Renrick Cato maintained his objection to bail, saying that the child was still hospitalised.
Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne ordered a medical report on the child and set bail review for Monday.
She also inquired about whether other children were living in the woman’s household and if the Ministry of National Mobilisation had been notified about the case.
However, Garraway was brought back to the Serious Offences Court on Wednesday and acting Corporal of Police Kenroy Martin told the court that the prosecution was withdrawing its objection to bail.
The court had earlier said that the child, who has been hospitalised since suffering the injury in August, had been discharged.
Martin asked that the court order that the woman have no contact with the child, impose reporting conditions, order that she surrender her travel documents and issue stop notices.
The chief magistrate asked Garraway if she should be living in Vermont and she said yes.
Browne set bail at EC$12,000 with one surety, ordered Garraway to have no contact with the child and report to the Vermont Police Station on Mondays and Thursdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
She was further ordered to surrender her travel documents and the court ordered that stop notices be placed at ports of entry and exit.
Garraway must obtain the permission of the court to leave the country.
The matter was adjourned to Nov. 27, 2023.
Garraway’s mother, Yvonne Frederick, signed her bail bond.
iWitness News understands that all of the children in Garraway’s custody, which include a baby who is less than 1 year old, has been placed in the custody of the state.
It’s sad that this woman is out on bail after she has [allegedly] damage this young girl in such a horrible manner, for the life of me I cannot see how anyone can inflict such a horrible thing on their child or anyone else, […] I hope someone brave enough gives her a beating of her lifetime that she will never forget, I know two wrongs don’t make a right but she deserves it .