Picking a Battle
We’ve heard of child on child and adult on adult violence, but what happens when an adult attacks your minor child? Terence Pillay investigates.
In May this year Andrew Guy, a father of a 13-year-olf boy got a call from his son’s school asking him to come and fetch his child who had just been assaulted. Racing to the school, Andrew found that it wasn’t an altercation with another child at the school but a parent.
Andrew’s child says that he and a friend had a disagreement with a peer who then reported the matter to her father who was waiting in the school’s parking lot. Instead of approaching the principal of the school to find out what the disagreement was all about, the child’s father grabbed Andrew’s child by his neck dragging him along the ground and punched him on his face several times.
Andrew says that teachers who witnessed this called for the offender to stop but he swore at them, got into his car and drove away.
Andrew took his son to the doctor for treatment and then laid a charge of assault at the Malvern Police Station. His son has since missed 26 days of school because he’s too traumatised and afraid of running into this parent again.
That was six months ago. Andrew alleges that the police are yet to contact him to take a statement or get his son’s side of the story. And despite the offender being known to them, no arrest has been made.
Captain Nqobile Gwala from SAPS says it’s an ongoing investigation and denies SAPS dragging their heels on this matter. She confirms that the suspect is known to the police but says an arrest can only be made once the investigation is done.
My question is: why does it take six months to wrap up what is clearly an open and shut case. There is a victim and witnesses and a suspect that is known. It’s not rocket science. Is this why so many offenders are not brought to book? Is out Criminal Justice System too slow to act?
What would your reaction be if this was your child?
You can email Terence Pillay at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter: @terencepillay1 and tweet him your thoughts.
Andrew’s child says that he and a friend had a disagreement with a peer who then reported the matter to her father who was waiting in the school’s parking lot. Instead of approaching the principal of the school to find out what the disagreement was all about, the child’s father grabbed Andrew’s child by his neck dragging him along the ground and punched him on his face several times.
Andrew says that teachers who witnessed this called for the offender to stop but he swore at them, got into his car and drove away.
Andrew took his son to the doctor for treatment and then laid a charge of assault at the Malvern Police Station. His son has since missed 26 days of school because he’s too traumatised and afraid of running into this parent again.
That was six months ago. Andrew alleges that the police are yet to contact him to take a statement or get his son’s side of the story. And despite the offender being known to them, no arrest has been made.
Captain Nqobile Gwala from SAPS says it’s an ongoing investigation and denies SAPS dragging their heels on this matter. She confirms that the suspect is known to the police but says an arrest can only be made once the investigation is done.
My question is: why does it take six months to wrap up what is clearly an open and shut case. There is a victim and witnesses and a suspect that is known. It’s not rocket science. Is this why so many offenders are not brought to book? Is out Criminal Justice System too slow to act?
What would your reaction be if this was your child?
You can email Terence Pillay at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter: @terencepillay1 and tweet him your thoughts.