Beaten Tobago schoolboy back home

UPDATED:

The 17-year-old Tobago schoolboy whose skull was fractured in a beating by other students at school was discharged from hospital on Monday. Jaden Pereira, a Form Five student of Signal Hill Secondary was flown to Port of Spain General Hospital where he was warded after the attack last week Wednesday. He was hit on the head with a concrete block.

Jaden and his father Sean boarded a plane for Tobago yesterday morning after the teen was released from hospital on Monday. Pereira said his son was still complaining of headaches and dizziness.

“He is walking and talking, but he is not too whole. The doctors say that he is recovering well, but anything else, we have to wait and see. They removed the part of the skull that was cracked, and he has to go back in for a check-up some time in the near future to put in a plate,” Sean Pereira said.

Pereira added that Jaden was a victim of bullying for years and although he (the father) made several reports, no action was taken. “I am going to deal with this in the morning for sure. I have made reports to that school on numerous occasions, ever since my son was in Form Three. He was being bullied, it was a gang of students against him.”

Asked if, after seeing Jaden’s injuries, he thought his son might not recover, Pereira admitted it had crossed his mind. “Of course, because of how serious it was, of course it went through my mind. I have not seen his mother yet, but I know she is really taking it on, and his younger brother Justin – he is 13 – he in a mess, a real mess. He’s not talking and keeps to himself. Justin really looks up to his big brother.” Pereira said he has sought legal counsel and will bring charges against those involved in beating his son. He also said he would request a transfer to another school as soon as Jaden was fully recovered. Jaden was also adamant that he did not want to return to Signal Hill. “I want to go back to school, miss, but I don’t want to go back there.”

All he remembered about the incident was being hit on the head. “I’m doing good, miss, I’m better than how I was. I’m not really getting pain, but headaches and dizziness. They hit me with something, miss, but I don’t know what it was,” he said.