Attorney-at-law, Dexter Todd has refuted claims that his 15-year-old client was aggrieved about her cell phone being confiscated which reportedly caused her to retaliate by setting the female dormitory at the Mahdia Secondary School on fire.
The inferno which occurred on May 21, claimed the lives of 19 girls and a 5-year-old boy.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF), last Monday charged the teenager girl with 19 counts of murder. The police alleged that the child deliberately started the fire after her cell phone was confiscated by the dormitory’s supervisor and a teacher.
However, the teen’s lead attorney, Dexter Todd, has since refuted that claim.
During an interview on ‘The Narrative’ aired on WPG10 a Grenada media entity, Todd disclosed that his client had confirmed that her phone was taken away but the situation is far from what was peddled in the media.
He said, “I don’t know where that narrative came from, where that story came from but that is not how she describes it happened.”
According to the lawyer, his client did not give any resistance to her phone being taken away.
“Actually, her phone was returned to her for her to communicate with her mother and she of course handed back the phone. This narrative of her being upset because she was texting an adult and she retaliated as a result of the phone being taken away from her is not one that she says happened.”
When questioned about the mental state of his client, the lawyer explained the child is “very traumatized.”
He continued, “I believe psychologically, there is a lot going on there and I would hope based on the recommendations by a number of persons in society, including myself, that the authorities facilitate some sort of counseling which will help her.”
Moreover, Todd disclosed that his client has been very vocal in denying the allegations of setting fire to the dormitory.
According to the lawyer, on all given opportunities that his client had with the police, and even during very rigorous interviews, his client has denied the allegations and maintains her innocence.
Meanwhile, he said she is slowly coming to grips with understanding why she is before the court.
