Senior Parish Judge at the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court, Lori-Ann Cole-Montague was visibly perturbed when a 17-year-old boy stood before her to answer to the charge of resisting arrest but was unable to name the subjects he was doing at school.

The boy, who was charged along with his 18-year-old sister, with the offence of resisting arrest, indecent language, disorderly conduct, and obstructing the police, pleaded guilty to the charges.

The teenager said he was in his community speaking to a friend, who suddenly took his bicycle and rode off on it.

“Mi just cuss two claat off a him,” he explained.

The court was told that on Wednesday night, July 20, a police officer heard him use the words, “Hey, b*mb*cl**t bwoy, carry mi things come,” and attempted to take him into custody when he and his sister started to resist arrest.

The court was also told, his sister told the police to “Let go off a mi bl**dcl**t bredda.”

Also pleading guilty to the charges, his sister said she was only asking the police why he was arresting her brother.

Aiming to learn more about the accused persons before her, the judge asked the 18-year-old if she is in school. She explained that she was in training as a records clerk.

“Are you in school?” Cole-Montague then asked the boy.

“Yes, Miss,” he answered, adding that he will be in grade 11 come September.

“What are the subjects that you are to do?” the judge enquired.

“Miss, dem never make me pick the subjects,” he responded.

“What subjects are you doing now?” she pressed, to which the boy answered, “Mi nah do no subjects now.”

“You’re in grade 10, you’re going into grade 11 and you don’t know what subjects you are doing now?” Cole-Montague asked, incredulously.

“Miss sometimes [the] teachers don’t even come to class,” the boy said.

“No, that’s a different problem. What subjects are you doing?” the judge retorted.

After about a minute of prodding the teenager said he is “doing mechanics.”

“Mechanics? That’s all? You know I’m not surprised by what I’m hearing from you? And I’m not surprised that you are here based on what you just said to me. He needs help. Let me tell you something, God works in mysterious ways… Sometimes some a them affi end up a courthouse fi we straighten them out because it is obvious that the parenting and supervision that this young man needs is lacking,” Cole-Montague said, then asked his aunt where his parents were.

The aunt, who is his father’s sister, said the boy’s father was at work and she is unaware of the mother’s location.

Clearly disturbed, the judge said, “Something wrong. You’re nephew buck-shuffle fi tell me what he’s studying. You hear the words weh come out of his mouth? Them words deh never escape my lips yet and me deh pan God green earth long time. Something wrong with the young people. The sentence that he needs, I don’t think I must say to him fine $2,000 or 10 day [imprisonment], that is not going to help him. He needs more than that. Him need fi be set straight.”

She also asked him what his plans for the future were. However, he was still unable to give a definite answer.

“Aunty, I need to see his report card. I need to see what this young man is going on with. As manly as you may look, you are still a child in the eyes of the law, so I am your judicial mother…. I want to see the young men dem come to something good,” Cole-Montague demanded.

The teenager was fined $2,000 or 10 days imprisonment for the indecent charge, he was admonished and discharged for the disorderly conduct and given one-year probation for resisting arrest. He was also advised to “listen to everything the probation officer says.”

“During that one year, I want you to sort out your head,” Cole-Montague said.

Meanwhile, his sister was fined $3,000 each for resisting arrest and indecent language. She was admonished and discharged for obstructing the police and fined another $2,000 for disorderly conduct.