Pickstock Area Rep Says Samuel Haynes Institute May Be in Danger of Closing Down

Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington

The Pickstock Development Association provides services to residents of the Pickstock and Lake Independence communities, primarily through after school initiatives, gardening and coffin-making. Elrington says that as many as a hundred and fifty children benefit from these services on a daily basis.  The area rep says assistance provided may be jeopardized if Brian Espat is unable to meet the settlement.

Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington, Area Representative, Pickstock

“Of course we’ll try to see how we could find the funds, if the institute is forced to close its doors because we don’t have the money to pay for it, it’s going to hurt hundreds of kids.  I know this is one that has been injured and the child needs to get assistance, but if we can’t find the funds and Mr. Brian Espat doesn’t come up with the funds, it will simply mean that the Samuel Haynes Institute will have to close down, Pickstock Development [Association] will have to close down and we are now servicing in excess of a hundred and fifty kids every day, so that those hundred and fifty kids will find that they no longer have the support that we give to them and their parents.”

Isani Cayetano

“Sir, as a lawyer yourself, having looked over the merits of the case and the judgment, do you believe that this is something that can be appealed?”

Wilfred Elrington

“No, it’s not the kind of thing that you appeal because I have no doubt that the poor child will need some kind of care later on.  Even when you are born normal, just going through life there are very many things that impair your quality and standard of living and I am sure that that was a very traumatic incident so that it is going to affect her life in some way or the other in future.  I don’t think that the judge was inordinate in the award that she made and I thought she applied the basic legal principles.  We theoretically own the premises.  Although we did not invite the parents there, the parents work there so they were the ones who came on the place, almost like; well they were certainly not invited by us.  But we’re not going to quibble over that, a child has been injured.  I think the child should be looked after to the extent that we can in our society and so I don’t think that we would want to appeal a decision of that kind.”

While the parties in the suit will not appeal the decision of the high court, it is expected that they will comply with the ruling so as to avoid an enforcement order.