SMN News learnt that the detainee has been in police custody since December 2010 and he attempted to take his life on 16th birthday which was Tuesday May 3rd. The source said, the young man was born on St. Maarten but he has no passport since his parents are of Jamaican decent. Relatives of the young man said Jamaica is giving the family a hard time to issue a passport since he was not born in Jamaica. It is further understood that the relatives of the young lad are busy working with the Jamaican consulate in Trinidad to regulate his status but so far that has not been finalized.
Sylvester Robinson, an uncle to the young man said Molando's mother left him here ten years ago when she moved to England. He said the young man was living with his brother and he attended school on St. Maarten. The elder Robinson said the lad's father is living on St. Maarten legally but he refused to take on his parental responsibilities. Robinson said police placed the lad in a home in St. Peters and while he was there he had an argument with one of the youths staying there and he allegedly hit the other child. Police intervened and ever since then they arrested his nephew and kept him in police custody saying they will deport him.
The relatives said that while Police have arrested the young man and have him in jail for the past four months they are not attempting to regulate his documents with Jamaica.
The Commissioner of Police further explained that the suspect was placed in one of the homes but he threatened to stab the surrogate mother of the home as such the police were forced to take him back to the police station. Sylvester Robinson said his nephew never threatened to stab anyone because he personally went to the home and spoke to the surrogate mother and she told him what had occurred.
Commissioner John said it has been a while now that the immigration department has been dealing with Jamaica to obtain travel documents for the young man but that he said is delayed. Commissioner John confirmed that the suspect attempted to take his life by hanging but failed. He said the doctor and ambulance was called to the Police Station where they examined the young man. Police also made arrangements with a psychologist who will meet with the detainee on Thursday.
