Rastafarian musician Sean Mc Donald charged for homeschooling kids free
Musician, singer, and songwriter JahDore, whose real name is Sean McDonald, had asserted that he had decided on home school the children.
Attorneys-at-law Hugh Wildman and Indira Patmore argued in court that no offence disclosed under section 24 of the Education Act for which McDonald was charged.
The attorneys said there was nothing in section 24 that allowed the police to charge any parent for failing to have a child of compulsory age, in a designated area, attending school.
They argued that the section clearly circumscribed the basis on which a charge may be preferred. That was a failure to respond to a notice by the educational board to submit the child for examination by a medical officer.
It further argued that no such notice served on McDonald and, therefore, it was illegal for the police to go to his home and take the family into custody for a purported breach as alleged.
Parish Judge Maxine McPherson upheld the submissions and ruled that no offence made out.
On April 30, 2019, the allegations were that the police went to Gordon Town, St Andrew, at McDonald's home and his common-law wife.
It alleged that the woman told the police that McDonald's decision not to send the children to school “at this time” and that he was engaged in homeschooling.
The reggae artiste, an orthodox Rastafarian, was taken to the Gordon Town Police Station, where he was charged under section 24 of the Education Act to fail to have the children attend school.
The two charges stated that McDonald, being the parent of a child under compulsory school age, failed to cause the children to receive full-time education or otherwise.
Meanwhile, arising from the incident, McDonald is charged with assaulting the police, and that case is set for June 17.
It was reported that while at the station McDonald and a policeman got into a tussle, following which he was charged.
He claimed that he and his common-law wife were mistreated at the police station.
McDonald had claimed that the police forcibly took his Rastafarian children, who were ages 4 and 8 at the time, from their home, trimmed their locks and fed them meat.
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