The great-uncle of Brandon Hargreaves, who died during a play fight at the St Michael’s Home for Boys in Diego Martin on Tuesday, is demanding justice, saying that the home is to blame for his death. In a telephone interview on Thursday, Clyde Mottley, 54, said he would not be resting until he gets justice for Hargreaves.
Police reports stated that Hargreaves, 14, had attempted to drop-kick a fellow teen at the home when he fell over and hit his head on the concrete floor, rendering him unconscious. The other boy immediately informed Clair Thomas, a supervisor at the institution, who contacted police.
Police and emergency health services personnel arrived on the scene and took Hargreaves to the St James Medical Facility for treatment. The teenager was transfered to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he succumbed around 10.25 pm from his head injury.
Hargreaves and his family shot into the public spotlight in July 2012 after police found him locked inside a dog kennel at their Upper Valley Road, Cascade home. He told police that the night before he was accused of misbehaving, was refused dinner, beaten and locked inside the kennel with the family’s pet dog.
Eventually, his father, Nigel Hargreaves, 42, his stepmother, Nasha Baboolal, 34, and his uncle Kendal Baptiste were arrested by police. Hargreaves and Baptiste were charged with cruelty to a child under Section 3(1) of the Children’s Act, while Baboolal was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. They were each released on $50,000 bail. Hargreaves was made a ward of the State and sent to live in the institution. The court matter resumes on May 7.
Mottley told the T&T Guardian on Thursday that he last saw his nephew alive on Sunday “looking like a street child” as he was barefooted. He said he believed the lack of proper supervision had led to his nephew’s death, as the child was playing at 9.30 at night. Saying he held the institution “fully responsible” for the teen’s death, Mottley said he believed that there may be some sort of cover up. An autopsy has since revealed that Hargreaves died of haemorrhaging of the brain caused by the injury to his head.
Mottley said he was supposed to have brought his nephew an iPod this Sunday after he requested it during his last visit. He added that whatever was making him happy he was willing to do for his nephew, saying he loved him like his own child. “He end up there because of no fault of his but a lack of love. I am devastated by what happened to that child, I will not rest until I get justice,” Mottley said.
He added that he could not care for his great-nephew as he wanted, since he lived opposite the home where he was allegedly abused and that might have been too much of a psychological burden for the teen to carry.