Haitian woman charged with overstaying granted bail after infant daughter injured in State care

A Haitian woman who was among persons arrested at a house in Green Acres, St Catherine, and charged with overstaying was on Friday granted bail on humanitarian grounds in the St Catherine Parish Court after it was revealed that her infant daughter suffered injuries while in the care of the State.

The accused, Fabienne Cherisma, screamed upon seeing her one-year-old child, while the father, who is also a defendant, collapsed in the dock.

The apparent injuries on the face of the child did not escape the concern of presiding Judge Roneiph Lawrence.

The girl had appeared in court in the care of a Child Protection and Family Services Agency officer.

Observations made in court revealed that the child had black-and-blue bruise marks under her eyes and what appeared to be burn marks on her chin and cheek.

It was revealed in court that a medical report stated that the injuries were non-accidental.

The judge enquired how the child was injured while in State care.

The court was told that upon retrieving the child for court, it was revealed that the injuries were sustained on her crib and that an investigation is under way.

Attorney-at-law Denise Hinson, who represented the mother of the child, expressed alarm at the situation.

She told the court that it is unlikely for the baby to have injured herself on her crib.

The lawyer said the situation reflected the need to rename the institution.

“It should be renamed as a place of unsafety,” Hinson said.

The lawyer lamented that the screams of the child should have been heard and that the child should have been tended to.

The infant was among a group of Haitians arrested in Green Acres, St Catherine, recently for overstaying.

Hinson applied for bail, arguing that the child is in danger and requires her mother’s care.

The application was initially objected to by the prosecution, which argued that the accused needed to apply for an extension.

Hinson outlined that her client had erroneously married a man of Haitian descent whom she believed was a Jamaican citizen.

The union produced a child in July 2025.

After hearing submissions, the judge granted the woman $150,000 bail based on humanitarian grounds.

She was also ordered to report to the Green Acres Police Station three times weekly and the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency once weekly.

A nightly curfew was also imposed.

The matter will again be mentioned on October 20.

An investigation by the Green Acres police led to the arrest of the Haitian nationals, including the child, in the upscale Green Acres community.

- Rasbert Turner

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