Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

The startling revelation was made in a case in the Home Circuit Court, Kingston, last week, that a 15-year-old girl who was the complainant in a carnal abuse case, had been taking care of her two younger siblings since she was nine years old.

The girl, who is reported to be the sole breadwinner for herself and the two younger siblings, is now pregnant for the man who was accused of sexually molesting her. The man was put on probation for three years.

Dwight Clarke, a 25-year-old construction worker of a Kingston address, pleaded guilty to the charge. He said the girl had told him she was 17 years old when he met her at a party. Clarke said he believed she was 17 because when he visited her at a basic school where she was teaching, he heard the children calling her "Miss" .

Could be 17-y-o

When the case was mentioned in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court last year, the girl admitted that she had told the accused that she was 17 years old.

After Clarke pleaded guilty in the Home Circuit Court, attorney-at-law Dionne Cruickshank who represented him, asked Mrs. Justice Marjorie Cole-Smith to order a social enquiry report.

The report which was submitted to the court, disclosed that the girl was now pregnant for Clarke and is to give birth this month.

When interviewed, the girl told the probation officer that she did not want Clarke to go to prison because she was going to need his support when the child was born.

Investigations revealed that the girl had been taking care of her younger siblings since she was nine years old and at times was the sole breadwinner. According to the report, the girl's mother visited from time to time to give the girl money, but did not spend any quality time with the children.

Residents in the area where Clarke lived said they had seen the girl visiting him. They spoke highly of Clarke and described the incident as "unfortunate".

The probation officer recommended that Clarke be given a non-custodial sentence.