The sentencing of the woman who abused her 2-year-old baby by tying pieces of fabric around her neck in a suffocating manner and sending videos of it to the baby’s alleged father will now take place in private.
The woman, Candice John, 26, of Vermont, was scheduled to be sentenced today (Monday) at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court.
However, her lawyer, Grant Connell, asked for an adjournment as he had not received the social inquiry report that the court had ordered to be prepared before the sentencing.
On Jan. 29, John pleaded guilty to a charge that on Jan. 20, at Vermont, having charge or care of the juvenile (name omitted) she did wilfully ill-treated her in a manner likely to cause her unnecessary suffering.
Prosecutor acting Corporal of Police Carlene Samuel told the court she was accepting the guilty pleabut made an application for a social inquiry report “because of the nature of the report”.
Samuel said she did not know if the court was minded to hear the facts before sentencing.
Connell told the court that he “totally” agreed with the prosecutor, adding that the hearing of the facts could wait.
“Finally, some wisdom in this case,” he told the court, adding, “I don’t know if another woman being involved brought some wisdom to this case.”
The lawyer told the court that he would refrain from saying some things.
Senior Magistrate Colin John adjourned the matter to March 4.
However, when the matter was called today, Connell said he had not received the social inquiry report.
The magistrate said he had just seen it that morning.
Connell said he was seeking an adjournment and requested that the matter be heard in camera based on the nature of the matter and the allegations.
He said he had mentioned this to the prosecutor.
Samuel said that that had been her stance when the matter came before the court on the first occasion.
“I have no issues with that,” the prosecutor said.
The magistrate adjourned the case to March 25 for the hearing of the facts and sentencing.
The development means that although the case was not sent before the Family Court, the public would be denied an opportunity to know about the circumstances surrounding the woman’s actions and the sentence that the court hands down on her, unless the court or the prosecution give a summary of the proceeding.
The defendant’s actions became public after videos of the child with the fabric, which appears to be articles of clothing wrapped around her neck, emerged on social media.
A man who said that he is unsure that he is the father of the child but supports her, told iWitness News that it was not the first time that John has sent him videos of her abusing the baby.
The government removed the child from John’s custody in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
It is not clear whether the child is still in the custody of the state.