'Machete Mom' breathes sigh of relief - put on probation, to undergo anger management

Forty-four year-old Doreen Dyer, who, for the last couple of months has taken on the alias 'Machete Mom', can now breathe a sigh of relief following the closure of her case before the St Thomas Parish Court.

Dyer ignited national fury last year following an expletive-laced video, which circulated on social media, showing her partially naked and beating her teen daughter violently with a cutlass.

The mother of five pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years' probation, which is to include parental counselling and anger-management sessions.

The matter was called before Justice Lucianna Jackson yesterday, and both the prosecution and defence lawyers asked the judge for a probation period for the accused.

Dyer's attorney, Bertram Anderson, told The Gleaner that a social-enquiry report prepared by the Department of Correctional Services spoke volumes of the accused in respect of her character and history, where her treatment of her children is concerned.

"She had no previous convictions and community members spoke highly of her character. A report was also taken from her daughter, who was seen in the video. She admitted that it was the first time that her mother was applying discipline like this," he said.

ASKED TO BE SENT HOME

Anderson further revealed that the daughter's report noted that she would normally give her mother reasons to discipline her, but instead of beating them, Dyer would take them to the police to make a report and have them warned.

"She also asked for the matter to be dismissed against her mother, and though she understands the seriousness of what was done, wished the court would send her back home to be with her mother," Anderson said.

The attorney said that the social-enquiry report also gave insight into Dyer's family history, proving that she, too, is the product of a single-parent household who didn't get the required schooling, which had an impact on her basic comprehension of certain issues.

She is set to immediately begin parental-counselling sessions with clinical psychologist Dr Kai Morgan and attend the required anger-management classes.