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  • 1 year ago

The nation cried out for justice afte a schoolboy killed himself due to bullying

A mother and her young baby were killed by a male relative

And an international health authority revealed that hundreds have died from air pollution in this country
Transcript
00:00Good evening and welcome to the past seven days on six. I am Renessa Cutting as what
00:22made the news this past week. The nation cried out for justice after schoolboy killed himself
00:29reportedly due to bullying. A mother and a young baby were killed by a male relative
00:34and an international health authority revealed that hundreds of people have died in this
00:39country from air pollution. As per usual, if it was happening, it was on six. Let's
00:45get right into it. Speak up and say something. That was the message sent last week towards
00:52students who witnessed bullying. It came from Pastor Josh Kajuram Singh on Tuesday during
00:58the funeral service for 15-year-old Jayden Lalchow, who reportedly committed suicide
01:03due to being bullied in school. Jayden, a student of St. Stephen's College in Princestown,
01:10tragically took his own life last Wednesday. He was reportedly bullied and tormented by
01:15fellow students. Today, Pastor Kajuram Singh called on students all present and who were
01:22watching the service online not to be silent. To all the students that are here in this
01:28building and to all the students looking on, don't be silent. Speak up. Say something.
01:40Kajuram Singh, who also told the congregation that he too suffered bullying in the final
01:44year of his studies, recalled that he knew Jayden and his family very well as they had
01:50been attending the iCare church services over the last year. As a result, he said it
01:56was hard not to take the news of Jayden's death personally. Like I said, I'm trying
02:01my absolute best not to make this thing personal. However, he wanted to ask a question to the
02:07individuals who would have bullied young Jayden. Was it worth it? I don't wish to face that
02:14young man. I don't. But I would ask him, and I'm sure that this will get to him, I
02:23would ask him, was it worth it? Bullying, was it worth it? Is this what you wanted?
02:30Like I said, I'm trying my absolute best not to make this thing personal. Despite his pain
02:35and the pain he knew that young Jayden's family and friends were enduring, Pastor Kajuram
02:40Singh pleaded with the congregation and those listening to ensure that this incident is
02:44not repeated and that Jayden's death was not just another statistic. Opposition leader
02:51Kamala Prasad Bissessa also spoke at the funeral service and reiterated calls for bullying
02:57to stop. She noted that despite the pain that persons may be feeling, young Jayden would
03:03not want anyone to seek revenge but justice. Jay was no bully. He would never want us to
03:11become bullies due to our anger. It may be difficult for us to accept this, but the best
03:17way to honor him is to not ourselves become like those persons who bullied and tormented
03:24him. She said that Jayden, who was described as kind, loving, and a wonderful young man,
03:31ought to be a beacon of light to all those who are suffering similarly and that the country
03:37must ensure that similar situations do not repeat themselves.
03:41And while I have a holy duty to bring comfort, I also have a professional duty and responsibility
03:48to ensure that Jayden and his friends and others, his schoolmates and other school children
03:55in our country, they must not suffer the same daily nightmare as Jayden. Let Jayden's life
04:02be a beacon to us as we go forward in protecting our children.
04:08And while she advocated for forgiveness, she said that justice must also be served.
04:14And this promise I say is not about retribution. I make it because Jayden's death shows us
04:20that bullying is destroying our children, and bullies must know that they will pay heavy
04:26price for their wickedness. For their wickedness.
04:31Meanwhile, the TTPS is questioning several individuals in relation to Jayden's death,
04:37including parents, teachers, and other witnesses. This was confirmed on Monday by Assistant
04:42Commissioner of Police Wayne Maisa, who said that under the Offences Against the Person
04:47Act, bullying is considered a criminal offence. Once the file is completed, it will be forwarded
04:54to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice on the way forward.
05:00Alexander Brucewall, TV6 News.
05:04The Prime Minister said parents should never have to bury their children, but to have to
05:08bury a child in the circumstances of suicide is particularly punishing. Dr. Keith Rowley
05:14was speaking in Parliament during his contribution to the budget debate, where he expressed condolences
05:19to the family of the 15-year-old student of St. Stephen's College, who took his life last week.
05:25I want to express my sincerest condolences to the family of that young school boy. His
05:33name is Jayden, who took his own life because of how he was being persecuted in the school.
05:51Nobody should have, no parent should have to bury a child, but to have to bury one under
05:59those circumstances is particularly punishing.
06:06Assistant Commissioner of Police Wayne Maisa noted that acts of bullying can develop into
06:11more serious crimes later on, and so must be addressed early on. On a radio talk show
06:16program last week, the ACP also stated that the investigation into the suicide of the
06:22victim is nearing completion.
06:25While bullying is a criminal act, it is also the embryonic stage of even more serious offences.
06:31This was a point stressed by Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Central and Southern
06:37Divisions of the TTPS, Wayne Maisa, on the I-95.5 FM morning program today.
06:45Bullying is the embryo stages of a lot of serious offences. It's a serious offence,
06:49but it leads to different things. Let me just give you an example. You hear persons speaking
06:53about they are being taxed in school. Now, they use that word loosely, but that in itself
06:59is extortion. Psychological, verbal bullying, it could lead to suicide as we would have
07:05seen in recent times.
07:07Whereas violent acts of bullying, he says, can evolve into murder. As far as bullying
07:13goes, perpetrators can be charged for acts of harassment.
07:17We use generally Section 30 of the Offences Against the Persons Act. That is a whole section
07:23dedicated to harassment. So, it encompasses all different forms, so physical, verbal,
07:30psychological.
07:31ACP Maisa gave an update on investigations into the possible link between claims of bullying
07:38and the suicide of Princess Town teen, Jayden Lalchan.
07:42I would have met with the investigator. As a matter of fact, I gave him extra persons
07:47to assist that particular investigator so that we can expedite this investigation. So,
07:53I'm expecting that this investigation on a Friday to be in within a week, a week and
07:59a half.
08:00Meanwhile, ACP Maisa says before the end of October, the Southern Division plans to roll
08:05out an anti-bullying campaign across schools with the aim of educating students and teachers
08:12on the criminal nature of acts of bullying. He says they are currently seeking permission
08:18from the Ministry of Education for access to schools.
08:22Cindy Raghubar-Tikasingh, TV6 News.
08:27We had a quick break. We'll have more news when we return.
08:32Welcome back. A D-Bay Long Circular Road woman who was stabbed and her son subsequently
08:42kidnapped recounted the harrowing events that unfolded in the early hours of Friday morning.
08:48The living nightmare for Anna Ellis Berg began shortly before 2.30 a.m. at her D-Bay Long
08:53Circular Road St. James home. She recalls jumping out of sleep at that time and coming
08:59to a realisation that her male companion was not in the house. Ellis Berg says she
09:03checked her purse and found that money was missing. Her sense of foreboding swept over
09:08her, leading her to lock up the house. The man returned close to 3 a.m.
09:12When he started banging on the door, I called 911 because I realised, well, he'd come back
09:20and he banged on the door and I wasn't about to open the door, you know. So I called 911
09:30but I didn't get a response. I got a recording and before you know it, the door kicked down.
09:39Ellis Berg says the man grabbed a knife from the kitchen and approached her.
09:43And he told me, how do you want this to go? Do you want me to kill you and your son? Or
09:50do you want me to just kill you alone? So I just was fighting my son and to go far away
09:59and he started to choke me with the knife. Like choke me or actually puncture my flesh.
10:04So I started to get real scared and like he really looking to want to do something. And
10:11this whole thing stemmed from me telling him, I don't want the relationship no more. Because
10:16he came home with tie straps, new brand tie straps in her pocket.
10:23She says it struck fear in her, especially for the life of her son, 12-year-old Prince
10:28Mercy Berg. Ellis Berg tells us she made the decision to leave the house with the man,
10:33thinking that her son would be safe. As they were walking along Long Circular Road in the
10:38vicinity of Ambassador Hotel, she says he began to shout to her to quicken her pace.
10:53She decided to make a run for it, but fell.
11:09The van stopped and that intervention is perhaps what saved her life. Ellis Berg states that
11:15the male relative ran off and it dawned on her that he would go for her son. Back at
11:20the house where Prince Mercy slept was Rena Barrett, Ellis Berg's stepmother. Barrett
11:26says the man walked out of the house with the child shortly after 5am.
11:31Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was just like going down to the river. I feel
11:42like I should have done more, but I didn't see nothing until I do anything. I didn't
11:49hear any noise, only the big bang. I didn't hear, I didn't know anything.
11:56That's until police officers arrived at the house inquiring about the child's whereabouts,
12:01explaining to Barrett that her stepdaughter was in hospital after being stabbed. We're
12:06told the relationship between Ellis Berg and the man in question lasted about six months.
12:11All the family is praying for at this time is for the safe return of Prince Mercy Berg.
12:17Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
12:21The funeral service for a murdered Berg, poor mother and daughter was held last week.
12:27The two were killed on Tuesday and the woman's former partner and the child's father has
12:32since been charged for the murders.
12:36I didn't know today would be your last.
12:44Four-year-old Tara Geeta Ramsaroop and her one-year-old baby, Sharmaya Jada Motilal,
12:50were laid to rest on Saturday, four days after being chopped to death at a home along Location
12:57Road in Bharagpur. The joint funeral service, which saw mum and baby lying side by side,
13:03sharing a casket, was held at their GP Road, Bharagpur home. The procession to get there
13:10was led by a music truck which played Baby Jada's favourite song.
13:23Scores of families and friends gathered to bring comfort and say their final goodbyes.
13:28Ramsaroop's sister, who previously told of the years of abuse her sister endured and
13:34the many police reports made, restated her call for justice.
13:39I really, really hope that Bharagpur police station gets justice now.
13:45I really hope they see what they didn't do to help.
13:52Speaking at the service, one pastor called the killings unfortunate and had a message
13:57for young people.
13:59I want to say to you that life is full of challenges.
14:06There are things that are going to come our way that we didn't even ask for.
14:10We need to seek the place of God rather than taking things into our own hands.
14:18While the officiating pastor lamented the state of affairs in the country and a perceived
14:23lack of empathy from the government.
14:26And it's not easy what we are going through in this life today.
14:29And in our land it's not easy what people are going through.
14:34And leaders will go on the platform and call us fellow citizens.
14:38How can we be a fellow citizen when we are suffering?
14:42Chairman of the Pinal Debe Regional Corporation, Gautam Maharaj, called for increased social
14:48services outreach to help vulnerable families.
14:52Arapaho has been hit hard since the closure of Karani, since the trashing of the rice
14:57industry, the closure of Petriton.
15:00Many of our young men and our women and our children that are completing school are out
15:06of employment.
15:07We must reset our social support, our community support.
15:11The authorities must do that because we do have social services, community services,
15:17community policing.
15:18And all of these seem to be needed more now than ever because we may not understand at
15:24the surface level what sits inside a home.
15:27Autopsies confirmed Ram Sarup was chopped about her body while her daughter received
15:33a single chop to the neck.
15:36Her estranged common-law husband and Jada's father, 29-year-old Rishi Motilal, has since
15:43been charged for the double murder.
15:46Cindy Raghuba Tika Singh, TV6 News.
15:50The Standing Finance Committee examined the spend of the TTPS last week.
15:55Here's a snippet of the procedure in the lower house.
15:58A total of $2.59 billion was allocated to the TTPS.
16:03The National Security Minister says efforts are being made to reduce overtime payments
16:09to police officers.
16:11Commissioner is mandated to rearrange the affairs of the deployment and the shifts and
16:18all that she must do as leader of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to gain more from
16:25the officers in their normal working hours so as to suppress and to reduce the need for
16:35overtime.
16:37Notwithstanding the fact that they are called upon as a unit, as a police service to provide
16:43more to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
16:46That's the mandate of the commissioner and she has set about it and she is to be applauded
16:51and encouraged.
16:52MP Saddam Hussein questioned the introduction of a new line item titled house rates.
16:58You want to know what that is?
17:00That's what I asked.
17:01So-called, so-called, but this is to deal with issues of building taxes and that sort
17:08of thing.
17:09So the TTPS has to be a property tax?
17:14Taxes on buildings.
17:15Property, is it property tax?
17:17Well of course if the TTPS is renting a building and the landlord imposes, if the TTPS is renting
17:26a building and the landlord imposes some demand, I expect it will be met.
17:31So you're allocating $5,000 for property tax for the entire TTPS?
17:35I did not say that.
17:36And someone who has a very small home has to pay about $3,000 or $4,000?
17:40I did not say that.
17:42So the TTPS has to only pay $5,000 in property tax?
17:45I'm saying this is the allocation.
17:47$5,000?
17:48This I'm saying is the allocation and if it requires more than that, adjustments will
17:53be made.
17:54The finance minister then offered an explanation.
17:57I am advised by the budget division that this is a residual tax owed from long ago.
18:06Long ago?
18:07Because as you would see it's house rates.
18:09House rates and property tax are not the same thing.
18:12This is something from way back when.
18:14Okay.
18:15So you're clarifying that it is something owed long time ago?
18:20Long ago.
18:22And so long that it's $500,000 owed by the TTPS.
18:27Yes, it's a very small amount.
18:29That would have been long before your time that it would be so small.
18:34Well, possibly.
18:36MP Grijalmin asked the ministers to clarify the setting up of a new unit with the word
18:41seismic in the title.
18:43The word seismic is simply to give it that potency.
18:46It's an earth-shattering fusion centre.
18:50The fact that the minister could not explain what the centre is, is a serious concern that
18:57this government should take note of.
18:59The minister of national security cannot explain what you just explained and it tells us what
19:05we have been telling you all the time.
19:07You need a new minister of national security.
19:10This is the past seven days on six.
19:20Welcome back.
19:22Over 600 people have died as a result of poor air quality in this country in one year.
19:28The shocking revelation was made last week at a symposium on air quality and health hosted
19:34by the Environmental Management Authority.
19:36We need air to survive.
19:38But as it turns out, the very air we breathe could lead to our demise.
19:44It was estimated that 622 deaths in 2019 among people over 30 years old were attributable
19:54to particulate matter air pollution here in Trinidad and Tobago.
19:59The shocking revelation was further compounded by this statement from the Environmental Management Authority.
20:05According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, air pollution is the biggest environmental
20:11health risk of our time and over 99% of the population breathe unsafe air.
20:19Exposure can lead to stroke, heart, lung disease, cancer and many more ill effects.
20:26Polluted air kills 6.7 million people per year and 2.4 billion people are exposed to
20:36dangerous levels of household air pollution.
20:40Despite the local statistics, the WHO says TNT has one of the most extensive air quality
20:47monitoring systems in the region and notes that this country has ratified the Paris Agreement.
20:54Collaboration between the Ministry of Health, EMA and PAHO-WHO has enabled the training
21:00of healthcare workers in estimating the health impacts of air pollution.
21:06A national assessment of air quality and health has been undertaken.
21:10But Chief Medical Officer Dr. Roshan Parasram says there is still work to be done.
21:16Sport is up next. Keep it here.
21:26In sport, we take a look back at the Women's T20 World Cup action in the UAE.
21:31South Africa beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets and were hoping to earn a semi-final spot
21:36with England and West Indies also in the race.
21:40Batting first, Bangladesh were restricted to 106-43 from their 20 overs.
21:45In reply, the South Africans got to 107-43 with 16 balls to spare.
21:54Bangladesh chose to bat against South Africa in Group B of the Women's T20 World Cup in Dubai
21:58and they made a poor start as Marizan Kap picked up the first wicket without a run on the board.
22:07It became 36-2 with the dismissal of Shatirani for 19.
22:16Subhana Mosteri and Captain Negar Sultana Jyoti would make useful contributions for their team.
22:20Mosteri was the top scorer with 38 while Jyoti made an unbeaten 32.
22:29Bangladesh were restricted to 106-3 from their 20 overs.
22:37In reply, South Africa got an opening partnership of 23 from Captain Laura Woolford and Tasman Brits.
22:44Woolford was out for 7 giving Fahima Khatun the scalp. Brits would go on to top score with 42.
22:51Khatun was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 19 but the pro tiers were always on course.
23:04They got to 107 for 3 in 17.2 overs to win by 7 wickets and take the lead to remain on course for a semi-final spot.
23:11But they have to wait on other outcomes in the group.
23:16And that's a wrap on the past 7 days on 6. I am Renessa Cutting.
23:20If you didn't catch this segment in its entirety, you can find it on our website www.tv6tnt.com
23:27and you can find all these stories and more on the TV6 mobile app.
23:32Thanks for choosing TV6 and do have a great evening.
23:45.
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