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Corpun file 4715 at www.corpun.com
The Nassau Guardian, 31 March 1999
BA administrator charged with causing harm to 12 year old
By Keva Lightbourne
Guardian Staff ReporterThirty-eight-year-old Kenneth Deveaux, an administrator at The Bahamas Academy Seventh Day Adventist School was charged before court on Tuesday with causing harm to a 12-year-old boy.
Deveaux, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, opted to have a summary trial. Bail was granted in the sum of $1,000, with one surety.
According to the charge, sometime around 11:20 am on Friday, February 12, at Wulff Road, he "intentionally and unlawfully" caused harm to the child.
He was formally charged before Magistrate Renae McKay, in court 13 Parliament Street. Inspector Philip Gibson prosecuted the matter.
Reportedly, Mr Deveaux, who is also the school's business manager, punished the child after he allegedly threw a pencil at him.
The child was believed to have been hit more than 70 times about the body in front of his classmates.
The child's parents, Gladstone and Janet Adderley, exposed the brutal beating in the press after their son came home with black and blue bruises on his buttocks and legs.
"The intent of corporal punishment is never to injure, but to reprimand. The behaviour of the student in question warranted corporal punishment and thus it was administered as has been done in all other such cases.
"When the student left school on Friday, we were unaware of any undue negative reaction resulting from this punishment," said the school's principal Cheryl Rolle.
However, at that time, she reserved further comment and refused to answer any questions.
Sometime later, Mr Deveaux was suspended from his duties.
Since then, the Guardian learnt that the student was to receive therapy, in a bid to heal internal scars left behind from the severe beating.
And, even though The Bahamas Conference of Seventh Day Adventists announced that a committee was formed to investigate the matter, Mr Deveaux was allowed to return to school with no conclusive report given.
"In order to ascertain all the facts regarding the incident, the School Board has appointed a committee to investigate the matter," disclosed Education Director of the Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Dr John Carey.
But, to date there has been no word as to the investigation's conclusion.
The matter has been adjourned to May 20.
Previous: 17 February 1999 - Corporal punishment at Seventh Day school
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