Police?are?searching for a watchman of a primary school who allegedly struck a young boy in the face with a metal object after the boy accidentally hit him with a cricket ball.
The boy, eight-year-old Mileek Goodman, underwent emergency surgery on Saturday after suffering a serious injury to the left eye.
His angry mother, Shari Goodman, said her son might have to undergo further treatment to the eye and would be out of school for the next two weeks.
Goodman told the DAILY?NATION the incident occurred on Saturday while her son was attending cricket practice at the St Michael primary school where he is a student.
“Mileek said that he struck a ball and then he went over to a pipe to drink water. While he was holding over he saw a shadow behind him. He looked back and saw the watchman and he [watchman] told him [Mileek] that he had hit him with the ball.
“My son told him ‘sorry’ and hold back over the pipe drinking water and when he got up and turned around the watchman was still standing behind him with his hands behind his back. He pulled out something which was metal and hit him in his face and told him ‘go home and tell yuh mother now’.”
Goodman said she had just arrived home from work when she saw her son walking towards her “bawling” and with his shirt full of blood.
“I ran to him and asked him what happened – if he fell down; and when I saw the blood that was gushing out of my son’s eye I?almost fainted,” she stated.
She said she rushed him to the Winston Scott Polyclinic and contacted her husband to tell him that Mileek was injured.
“On his way to the clinic my husband stopped by the school and he was told that it was the watchman who had hit Mileek.”Goodman said her son was transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he underwent surgery to the eye.
“He received several stitches. The doctor said that he will still be able to see but that they may have to go inside the eye to do more work. They also referred him to a psychologist because he has been having nightmares since then and waking up crying and screaming.“I?can’t believe this. My chest has been hurting me since Saturday. I can’t believe that an adult would do this to a child,” she cried, adding that she had made a report to the District “A” Police Station.
When contacted, police public relations officer Inspector David Welch confirmed the incident and stated that the police were trying to locate the watchman.
The principal at the school also told the DAILY?NATION she was investigating the report.
“I?am aware that an incident did take place at the school, and I am dealing with the police about the matter. I have no further information that I?can give,” she stated.
