(TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) The 21-year-old mother of a two-year-old girl who drowned in Chaguaramas in August has been released on $75,000 bail after appearing in court charged with manslaughter.
Rizpah “Miracle” Sterling, of Quarry Road, San Juan, was granted bail by Chief Magistrate Maria Busby-Earle-Caddle after appearing in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court over the unlawful death of her daughter Isiahilla yesterday.
Sterling was not called upon to plead as the charge was laid indictably.
In her bail application, her attorney Henry Chase noted the case was tragic and his client, who has an eight-month-old baby, was still receiving counselling.
“That child was her life. She was her eye-ball and her death was accidental. She (Sterling) is most regretful and sorrowful over her child’s death,” Chase said as he claimed the hearing was his client’s first time before a criminal court.
Although police prosecutor Insp Wayne Mohammed could not confirm whether Sterling’s record was, in fact, clean, he did not object to bail.
Busby-Earle-Caddle allowed Sterling’s mother Elizabeth to act as surety for her bail.
Isiahilla drowned while she and relatives were swimming at Chagville Beach, Chaguaramas, on August 12.
Sterling reportedly took her eyes off her daughter for a couple of minutes as she was tending to her other child. When she turned around she found her daughter floating in the water near to her.
During the hearing, Busby-Earle-Caddle asked Mohammed if police were ready to disclose the summary of evidence against Sterling to her defence attorney.
Mohammed said he did not receive it as the officer who charged Sterling was not present as he was unaware his colleagues had taken her to court. The disclosure is expected to take place when Sterling reappears in court on November 12.
