The Gasparillo mother accused of unlawfully killing her two-year-old son will remain in jail even though she was granted $200,000 bail yesterday. Attorney?Subhas Panday had requested that Reshmi Ramrattan, 19, be given her own bail, saying her relatives were not speaking to her and she would not be able to secure bail on her own. In turning down his request, acting deputy Chief Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan said it was a "gravely serious allegation against an essentially helpless citizen."
Ramrattan, a housewife, first appeared before Rambachan in the San?Fernando First?Court last Friday charged with unlawfully killing her son Roshan. She was denied bail for the police to carry out a fingerprint trace to determine if she had previous convictions or pending matters. In applying for bail, Panday said Ramrattan's mother died when she was four and her father when she was nine.
He said a few years later she ran away and went to live with a man. When she was almost 17 she had Roshan, he said. Panday said Ramrattan was in an abusive relationship. "Her life has been one of misery." Panday said she was not a real criminal or killer or a threat to society. He said neither her husband nor any of her relatives wanted to see her.
Panday said he even tried to contact her MP, a councillor and a home to see if they could help her but was unsuccessful. "Society should have taken steps (to help) both her and the child," he said. Emphasing that Ramrattan was not a murderer, he said the day before Roshan's death she had bought a birthday cake for him.
Roshan died at the San Fernando General Hospital after he was allegedly beaten at his School Trace, Bonne Aventure Road, Gasparillo, home on September 29. He would have celebrated his second birthday the next day. An autopsy revealed that he was beaten and shaken violently.
Ramrattan was charged with man­slaughter by?acting Cpl Mahindra Gadoo of the Gasparillo Police Station. Court prosecutor Ramdath Phillip said he was not objecting to bail since she was a first offender. He did not ask for any conditions to be attached to her bail.
Told by the magistrate that bail of $200,000 had been granted to be approved by a clerk of the peace, Panday said: "She cannot raise that bail. I ask that the prosecutor expedite the matter." Phillip said the complainant had submitted the file to his senior officer.
The magistrate said he was willing to start matter next month but the state would not be ready by that time. The matter was adjourned to November 5. Ramrattan was remanded to the?Women's Prison, Arouca, until she is able to secure bail.
