Mother in hot water after 3-y-o wanders into police station

A judge ordered a social enquiry report for a mother who reportedly left her child alone at home on several occasions.

Ashareen Frazer, 21, pleaded guilty to child neglect when she appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court yesterday.

The court heard that in the latest incident, Frazer left her three-year-old son alone in the house. The child then wandered on to the premises of the Denham Town Police Station, which is situated in close proximity to his home.

The police told Senior Parish judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague that it was not the first time the child wandered on to the compound.

Frazer explained to the court that she left her child in the care of a friend so that she could go to a remittance company outlet. The friend, Selena Reid, was also present at court and explained that she was staying with the child but left him to go to a nearby shop to buy a drink for him.

"Where is the child's father?" the judge quizzed.

"Him run weh," Frazer replied.

The court heard further that the police on duty heard a voice saying "Shot a fire! Shot a fire!" Upon investigation, the police discovered a child by the cell gates and when he was asked where his mother was, the toddler told the police, "She gone." The child was asked where he lived and he pointed to a house across the road from the police station.

"Oh, my goodness. It was only the Lord who guided that child to the steps of that police station. I am concerned. This is the height of carelessness. There is no way, in God's green Earth that a three-year-old child should be left to wander about," the judge said.

A neighbour reportedly told investigators that it is a regular occurrence for the child to remove window panes and open the door to leave the home when the mother leaves him alone.

As the reports were read to the court, Frazer could be seen wiping tears. Cole-Montague heard that the child is now in the care of his maternal grandmother.

The judge ordered that a social enquiry report be done. Frazer's bail was extended until January 11, 2022. She has been ordered to report to the police once per week.