Mother gets three months in prison for failing to report daughter's sexual abuse by husband

A 59-year-old woman, who is a health worker employed at a Corporate Area hospital, was on Monday sentenced in the St Catherine Parish Court to three months in prison for failing to report the sexual abuse of her underage daughter by her husband to the authorities. The case against her husband, who is charged with having sex with a person under the age of 16, is still before the St Catherine Circuit Court. The wife, who was charged with failure to report child abuse, pleaded guilty in July and was out on bail until her sentencing on Monday. During the hearing, Acting Parish Court Judge Janelle Nelson-Gayle said, after reviewing the case file and the circumstances of the matter, a custodial sentence was in order. Taking into account that she pleaded guilty and didn't waste the court's time, the judge handed the woman a three-month prison sentence. The court heard that the 14-year-old girl told her mother that she was being abused by the woman's husband. The court further heard that she did not report the matter to the police for action to be taken. The matter was revealed after the complainant related her ordeal at school and the police were notified. An investigation was launched, which resulted in the arrest of the girl's mother. She was subsequently charged following a question-and-answer session. - Rasbert Turner Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.