‘It’s getting out of hand’ – mother of 13-Y-O attacked by teens; suspects charged with attempted murder

A 13-year-old student of Zeeburg Secondary School, West Coast of Demerara (WCD), is hospitalised in a serious condition after he was beaten by two young men on Monday last.

Injured is Jarron Williams of Zeelugt, WCD, who was attacked shortly after disembarking a bus on his way to play football.

In an interview with this publication on Saturday, the teen’s mother, Delana Nandan, said that she last saw her son in perfect condition on Monday afternoon after he returned from school.

“My son, on Monday afternoon, left home and was going to play football,” Nandan said. “He catch a bus. We live in Zeelugt, so he jumped in the bus, and while in the bus, these two other boys were in the bus, and they started picking trouble with him.” According to the mother, her son attempted to defuse the situation, but the two boys, 19 and 18 years old, persisted in bullying him.

“My son turned and told them, ‘Me ain’t want no problem with y’all. Why y’all picking trouble with me?’ He recognised one of the boys because he knew him. He went to school with his big sister. He told him, ‘Boy, you ain’t know me? I am Alana’s brother,’ and the boy asked him, what does that have to do with him.” she recalled.

However, she said the confrontation escalated when one of the young men allegedly struck her son to the head while still inside the vehicle. “When he cuff my son to his head, the bus stopped … and the driver put all of them out of the bus,” Nandan said. “And that was when they attacked my son.” Once off the bus, Nandan said her teenage son was allegedly brutally beaten and left for dead by the two young men.

“They had a wood, a big rock,” the mother said. “He claimed that one of them… he said he had a knife or something, or an ice pick. The Police said they found the metal part of a shovel, and when he was asked, he said they used it to inflict his injuries,” she said.

“While beating him, someone saw and shouted at them, and they ran away, and my son was left lying there. That same person called the Police, and the patrol came and took my son to the hospital.” As a result of the attack, Jarron sustained three skull fractures, which left him unconscious for three days. Due to the severity of the head injuries and recurring seizures, doctors sedated the child.

“Three fractured skulls. Both the left and right sides. The most serious one is on the right side,” his mother said. “The doctor said that he was waking up but kept getting seizures. So up till Wednesday night, he was sedated.” According to Nandan, the teenager has since regained consciousness and continues to receive medical care.

“He is still in critical condition, but he is listed as stable… but he is now awake and talking. He is also now starting on liquids,” she said.

Attempted Murder

Following investigations, suspects were arrested and charged with attempted murder. On Thursday and Friday, they appeared before the court and were both remanded to prison. Oswin Kenard Baker Jr, 19, of Tuschen North, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was identified as one of the suspects.

On Thursday, he appeared at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Alisha George, where the charge was read to him. He was not required to enter a plea and was remanded to prison. His matter was adjourned to March 19. Meanwhile, on Friday, 18-year-old Nicholas Thompson of Barnwell, EBE, appeared at the same court, where he was also remanded to prison for attempting to take the 13-year-old’s life. “Both of them were charged and were remanded on an attempt to commit murder. I was at court both times,” she said.

She noted that police have been maintaining contact with the family and providing updates on the case.

Deeply Troubling

Meanwhile, the incident has sparked concern within the community, particularly after allegations surfaced on social media linking one of the accused to another assault earlier that same day involving a different child. In a post that was published on Facebook on Monday and was seen by this publication, a parent was desperately seeking the public’s help in identifying Baker, whom they claimed went to the Vergenoegen Secondary School and brutally beat their son with a “chopper”. The post claimed that her son had to be rescued by adults who were in the vicinity. Other parents also took to social media, claiming that their children were also allegedly attacked by Baker on the same day.

Meanwhile, Nandan described the situation as deeply troubling.

“It’s getting out of hand… only God knows what could have happened to my son if he was not saved… something needs to be done urgently with these attacks…,” she said, referring to what she believes is a growing problem of youth violence. Investigations into the matter are ongoing.

Just a few days ago, President Dr Irfaan Ali and Minister of Education Sonia Parag both issued strong warnings about the rise of gang activity and violence in schools.
Speaking at the Annual Police Officers’ Conference, President Ali cautioned that school-based gangs, cyberbullying, vaping, and shifting social values pose serious long-term risks to public safety if not urgently addressed. He stressed that youth crime and school violence must be treated as national social emergencies, not isolated policing issues.

Meanwhile, Minister Parag made it clear that gang-related behaviour and the formation of cliques within schools will not be tolerated. During an engagement with students at Zeeburg Secondary School, she emphasised that students can only thrive in a safe and secure learning environment and warned against negative peer influence and violence.