Philipsburg: --- A 13-year-old boy who is not capable of reading and writing has been in police custody for the past three days. The youth is known for running away from home.
In an interview with SMN News, his mother Myrtle Nicolas said police told her, that her son Marwin Vallet was with some other boys at the Atlantis Casino picking up donations under false pretence.
She said police did not share much information with her but they said the young man committed fraud since he was picking donation for a basketball foundation. Nicolas said police said her son and some other boys who managed to flee from police collected donations from several places and were caught at the Atlantis Casino where they allegedly ran away with a computer and a phone.
The single parent said she has been facing several challenges with her son whom she described a slow learner and one who cannot even read or write properly. Nicolas said she tried seeking psychological help for the youth but that too is a challenge. The woman said she left her son at home, by locking him inside the house and he took his sister keys out of her bag and left. She said she did not file a missing person report because she had to wait until 24 hours elapsed but before that police contacted her saying, she should bring clothes and a towel for him.
Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos said the young man was held for some sort of theft, he was in a car with some other boys who managed to run away, however, police is holding him as long as necessary to conduct their investigations. Mos confirmed the young man was taken to court for an extension of time.
Asked if it is practical to have a 13 year old locked up in an adult prison and if it is normal that he be shackled to an adult, Mos said police is allowed to arrest anyone over the age of 12 years. While those 12 and under is not punishable by law, a 13 year old can be held like any other person. He said while it is not correct to hold juveniles with adults, there is nothing else the police can do since there are no separate cells for juvenile at the police station or at the Pointe Blanche Prison.