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by pltm
(PLTM) - Two persons made an appearance before the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, July 12, in response to charges stemming from an incident where a minor suffered a malicious miscarriage, as a result of being administered a number of pills.
The individuals, one female, 43, who is originally from Dominica, and a local male, 42, who is identified as a close relative to the minor, are charged with procuring a poison or noxious thing, to be used to procure a miscarriage, and administering a poison or noxious thing, with intent to procure a miscarriage.
According to the allegations, the minor, who was fourteen at the time of the incident, got pregnant by a male, who she vaguely knew. She allegedly told officers that she does not know the name of the man, noting that she met him at a party in the summer of 2015, and their communication grew from there.
The court heard that the male would travel back and forth from the USVI to the BVI, to meet with the minor, in order to engage in sexual relations. Consequently, the minor became pregnant in May 2016.
The pregnancy came to light on sometime in May, when the minor attended school and became ill. The school’s nurse then contacted her mother and relayed her observations.
The minor was then taken to a local clinic, where it was confirmed that she was indeed pregnant.
The court heard that shortly after the confirmation, the accused male was contacted and informed. The allegations noted that he became outraged by the information, which led him, with assistance of the accused female, to administer the pills to the child, in attempts to terminate the pregnancy.
It was noted that later that same day, at the home of the accused male's relative, the minor was given two boxes of different pills, containing eight pills each. She was instructed to take two pills every two hours, and then to lay in bed. She repeated this the next day with the next set of pills.
The minor told the officer that she took only twelve pills and discarded four. She also disclosed that the pills made her bleed for a number of days and made her really sick. She missed two weeks of school as a result.
Under audio visual interview conducted by the police, the accused male stated that he knew nothing of what is being alleged. “I ain't do nothing like that.”
He admitted to telling the co-accused, who was identified to be a family friend, of the minor’s pregnancy, adding that the female came over and went into the house with the minor.
He stated that he is not aware of what transpired after.
Meanwhile, the female accused told officers that she knew nothing of the minor's pregnancy, and that she never went to the home and met with her.
She was offered bail in the amount of $70,000, with two sureties, and ordered to sign in at the Road Town Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The male was offered bail in the sum of $70,000.
Both will make another appearance on September 29.
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