An unemployed woman who came to court with her three-week-old baby yesterday has been sent for drug rehabilitation classes. Unemployed mother Andrea Moraldo, 37, of Pond Street, La Romaine, pleaded guilty to possession of seven grammes of cocaine. However, San Fernando Sixth Court Magistrate Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds suspended sentence. Instead she ordered Moraldo to attend rehabilitation classes at Presentation College, San Fernando, every Sunday. She has to re-appear in court on Friday.
Concerned about the woman’s circumstances, the magistrate said social services needed to intervene urgently. Moraldo also has a two-year-old son but the child lives with his godparents. She had pleaded guilty to the charge last March. The magistrate granted her own bail and sent her to the probation office but she never returned to court. The magistrate issued a summons for her instead of a warrant but the police had problems locating her until recently.
Last week Friday Moraldo turned up in court with the three-week-old baby. The matter was adjourned to yesterday. Magistrate Ramsumair-Hinds asked attorney Shaun Teekasingh to help Moraldo. She said: “She has a three-week-old baby, unemployed, she needs assistance. Social services needs to get involved as urgently as possible.” She said last week Moraldo’s plight not only moved the court to compassion but other court workers, including clerical staff and MTS guards.
The magistrate allowed the police to give Moraldo a bag containing something which was donated by a staff member. “I cannot outlaw charity. We are all human beings,” she said. Teekasingh said he would try to help her and get in contact with social services but he could not guarantee Moraldo’s attendance in court. The magistrate told her she could benefit from a lot of social services and grants but she needed an identification card in order to access them.
“We want you to realise that there is a lot of help available. You don’t stand alone. Moraldo said she lost her identification card. The magistrate advised her to report it missing and re-apply for one. She told Moraldo that by doing those things she would provide a better life for herself and her child. The magistrate asked her if she was breastfeeding. She said no. “If you are still taking cocaine you can’t. You will damage the child if you do. The big picture is that you stop the cocaine.”
Moraldo said the church was helping her meet the baby’s needs. Speaking with reporters afterwards, Moraldo said she was in a common-law relationship but “by the time we buy groceries, pay rent and bills, there is very little left.” She has not yet given the baby a name. Moraldo said she would appreciate any kind of assistance because “things real hard.”