Couple accused of abusing now-dead child face judge Oct 27
Published:Wednesday | July 21, 2021 | 12:10 AMRasbert Turner/Gleaner Writer
A father and stepmother who have been charged with child abuse which arose from the death of a child are to reappear in the St Catherine Parish Court on October 27.
Those charged are 27-year-old Loraine Fletcher and 39-year-old Rohan Russell, both of New Works, Linstead, St Catherine.
The accused common-law couple have been charged in connection with the death of eight-year-old Tiana Russell, also of New Works.
Tiana, who resided with the accused, was also a student of the Linstead Primary and Junior High School in St Catherine.
Initial police reports are that about 1:30 a.m. on June 30, Russell, Tiana’s father, took the child, who reportedly had difficulty breathing, to the Linstead Police Station.
Tiana was subsequently taken to the Linstead Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Both accused appeared in court last week and were granted bail in the sum of $300,000 each with surety.
Offenders charged with cruelty or neglect can be fined up to $1 million or face 12 months’ imprisonment under the Child Care and Protection Act.