Mother and son stabbed by boyfriend

A Belize City man is behind bars tonight after he stabbed his girlfriend and her son during a violent dispute. And while some domestic abuse cases never make it to court, this afternoon one mother promised to protect her children from harm.

Erna Bethran, Stabbing Victim
?When she gone for the baby, the baby like the lie down with the hands like so and she said ma?am my mommy is dead? So she told him, no baby your mommy is not dead.?

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
Thirty-three year old Erna Bethran still fights to hold back the tears when she remembers the horrifying incident that threatened not only her life, but the lives of her two children.

According to Bethran, she went out last Friday night but didn?t get in until three on Saturday morning. As Bethran opened the front door, her live in boyfriend, thirty-three year old Alfred Billary, attacked her with a kitchen knife.

Erna Bethran
?He stabbed me in here inna mi belly and leg, but I neva really feel the one inna mi belly I feel this one. But I noh know which part up this direction because dah so sudden. So when my son see that, he jump off the bed, because I drop my son jump off the bed and punch he down, Alfred. He get up and he punch my son in his chest. Well my son drop, but all the while I got my back turn because my son di help me up, I neven know he stab my son in his back and I di try help myself to get up. So when I do get up, I turn round and I di help him because when he stab me in here he seh dah p*** you want go sell b****.?

As Bethran and Billary fought, her twelve year old son tried to help, but during the struggle, the little boy was stabbed in the right side of his body. As the child lay bleeding on the floor, the adults crashed through the backdoor and landed in the yard. When she managed to break free, Bethran says she ran to a next door neighbour for help.

When the police arrived, the little boy was rushed to hospital. Today Bethran says her son moved out of her home and is living with his biological father.

Erna Bethran
?He had a tube in his side because he was not bleeding much out, so they had to cut his side and put in a tube weh he coulda mi breathe, because he neva mi the breathe good too because he got it in his right lungs.?

Alfred Billary has been arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of dangerous harm, and two counts of use of deadly means of harm. He was remanded to Hattieville prison until May tenth.

Bethran claims that during her eighteen month relationship, only the last five months have been violent. She says she has had to call the police twice.

Erna Bethran
?I even report about him because he haul a gun at me already. He haul a gun at me and I report it, but my mistake was to drop one of the charge; that was my mistake. And the other one, because they were two, we went to court and he paid a fine of eighty dollars and five dollars for court and that was it.?

This time Bethran says she will testify in court against Billary.