10-year-old boy sexually assaulted

When Mary* got a telephone call from her sister who told her she was sending her 10-year-old son back home, she was not prepared for the nightmare that would follow.

The boy, who was carefree when he left home a few years ago, was broken, battered, and scarred when he got home.

Mary noticed he was bearing the weight of horrific abuse when he returned. The boy told his mom that he was the victim of a vicious sexual abuse. Mary was stunned

"Mi never go to the station same time, but mi end up go [to report the incident], and dem seh mi must go to the hospital and get a paper and come back," the angry mother told THE STAR.

Mary said her son was treated at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, and then placed in state care.

"Him deh at a place like where mi grow up, because mi grow up inna children's home as well," said Mary.

She is concerned about the psychological effect that the incident will have on the young boy.

Mary is concerned that her son will be haunted by the horrendous act for the rest of his life.

"Mi nah go tell yuh seh mi want back mi son because, fi tell yuh di God truth, mi naah go can feed him. Mi have a next son and a daughter and mi can't help them," she said.

Under Jamaican laws, an adult convicted of having sexual intercourse with a child under 16 can be imprisoned for life. Their minimum penalty is 15 years imprisonment.

It is unclear whether a suspect has been identified by the police for the crime against Mary's son. THE STAR attempted to contact Superintendent Kerry-Ann Bailey, head of the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse, for a comment on the matter, but several calls to her cellphone went unanswered.

* Name changed to protect identity