Disabled teen guilty of GBH against abuser

| 21/01/2021 | 41 Comments
Cayman News Service
Renaldo Taylor

(CNS): A 19-year-old disabled teenager from North Side has been convicted of wounding with intent by a jury, following a trial this month in which he had claimed self-defence against the charge. The three women and four men took just a few hours on Wednesday to decide on the most serious charge that Renaldo Taylor faced, after he stabbed his abusive stepfather several times during an altercation at their home in the summer.

Damian Wellington sustained several small cuts and stab wounds, but no serious injuries, during the altercation, which appears to have started when he pulled a flag from the doorway of the teenager’s bedroom.

Taylor, who lost his leg in a road accident several years ago, has endured many years of violence at the hand of Wellington, who was eventually convicted of child abuse for multiple assaults on him several years ago.

Taylor claimed that on the night of the stabbing he believed that his stepfather was again intent on causing him harm. He said he had grabbed a knife from his bedside table after Wellington had attacked him while he was on his bed without his prosthetic leg.

There were conflicting accounts between Taylor, Wellington and Taylor’s mother, who were all present. However, Prosecutor Greg Walcolm had argued that Wellington was unarmed and the violence was started by Taylor, who is said to have anger management issues, as does his stepfather.

Walcolm told the jury that it was the continued animosity between Taylor and Wellington that could have fuelled his rage and led to him stab his stepfather during the argument while Wellington was unarmed. Walcolm said that Taylor reportedly told Wellington that he intended to kill him and was prepared to spend the rest of his life in jail.

The jury also heard during the trial that there could have been footage of the incident from a camera in the house. But the officers who were investigating the case warned Wellington they wanted to seize the camera and potential footage several days before they came to collect the equipment.

By that time there was a problem with the camera card and no footage was ever recovered.

Despite this missing potential evidence and the discrepancies between the accounts given by Taylor and his mother and the account given by Wellington, the jury appeared to have had no reasonable doubt that Taylor had started the altercation and had deliberately stabbed Wellington several times when he was unarmed, with the intent of seriously wounding him.

Following the verdict, Taylor, who is currently on very strict bail conditions and wearing an electronic tag, was allowed to remain on bail until February, when he will be sentenced.


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Comments (41)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    First off let me tell you facts as I Know both sides.

    I have knowed Damian is whole life and he has never gave trouble he never even picked up a cigarette or a beer He just picked the wrong wife with the wrong step children.

    Damian has worked hard for his home which he built out of his pocket before even looking for a wife. Finally house built and he started looking to start a family. Unfortunately it was this lady. Dont get me wrong she is a nice lady it’s just that she cant handle her children and is afraid of them and finds every excuse and blames others for their behaviour. The mother is to blame as she has made everyone paint the wrong picture of Damian by not standing up for him at the first incident and tell the judge she cannot manage renaldo

    XXXX Step parents have no say even in their own home in a lot of instances. Every family vacation he would include her 2 children on the trip. He tried but when the right to discipline has been taken from you especially with these kind of kids that he picked up it makes you just give up. He has tried to get the system to take renaldo out of this home many times since they are making him do what he wants with no consequences not even discipline and was only being told he is a minor. Family told him just send him back but his heart still tried with this family and put up with so much and almost died with the hands of this boy.

    Damian has the right to lay down his rules in his home and renaldo does not abide and the mother can’t make him. Renaldo smokes weed in damians house hence why he took off the bedroom door. Reynaldo then covered the open area with a flag since he dont have a door If Damian dont want the flag hung then that’s is his home. Damian cant even feel safe in his own home has guns where found under renaldo pillow.

    The school system failed has they knew the trouble this boy was giving and found every excuse in the book they only kept suspended him to get him out of their hands which he liked cause while not at school he got to to what he want. When he first came to Cayman Damian could have made something out of him if they had just stopped calling it abuse. Abuse and discipline is too different things. Take the counselor’s out of the school.

    Renaldo lost his foot and still never changed him has mother quickly got him a prosthetic leg. One foot and even worse than ever. Renaldo is to be deported he will be the worst criminal ever in Cayman mark my words. He is not mental he is bad.

  2. Anonymous says:

    That Wellington, he needs the boot!

  3. Anonymous says:

    The mother should take a look in the mirror

  4. Anonymous says:

    I hope this young man is not staying with this awful stepfather
    while he is on bail…

    Shame on the jurors for convicting this young man… The stepfather should be the one going to Northward

    • Wayne says:

      There is no history of abuse, this is poor journalism. The boy has been a problem child from the first day he came to Cayman from England (deported?). He doesn’t listen and no one can talk to him, not even his mother. He has a long criminal record while a juvenile, which may be sealed. Stop painting Wellington as an abuser and look at the boys history.

      CNS: Wellington was convicted of child abuse in court.

      • Anonymous says:

        Please Google “Damian Wellington Cayman Judicial” and you will see for yourself that Wellington is in fact a **CONVICTED** CHILD ABUSER.

      • Anonymous says:

        There is a negative history with this Young man since he arrived on the island and probably prior to that. His mother was advised not to bring him here with her, clearly as we can see now for obvious reasons. CNS is only reporting on one set of factors. But this isn’t a court of law anyhow.

        CNS: You seem to be justifying child abuse because the child was troubled. That is really disturbing.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Why was this guy charged? Why was he forced to continue living with an abuser while having a physical disability? You can just imagine what he put up with before snapping. He needs help and Northward is not going to do it.

    • Anonymous says:

      Move on nothing to see here.

    • Anonymous says:

      He’s an ADULT so he’s not forced to live there! Lots of people with far greater disabilities than a prosthetic leg are fully independent and productive members of society. He can get if his ass and live elsewhere.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes because a disabled teen usually has enough to afford astronomical rent.

        • Anonymous says:

          Well, he was man enough to steal that motorbike and put himself in this position, he should also be man enough to figure things out from this point onwards.

  6. caymaniannn says:

    The job of adults is to PROTECT children.
    There has been NO PROTECTION for this young man and the step father after years of abuse should be the one that gets thrown into jail and throw away the key.Keep the kids abused and uneducated so the adults can thrive THATS CAYMAN KIND FOR YOU>
    The jury should be ashamed.

  7. Anonymous says:

    CNS, will you follow up with the sentencing?

    CNS: Yes.

  8. Bertie : B says:

    Keeping this man in your life ? disregarding your own blood ? Not much of a Mother ! Young man needs some serious help , obviously he has been through enough Hell . Na Right !

  9. Anonymous says:

    I know the father and while I do not know him well, he seems to be a reasonable normal human like the rest of us. You never know what goes on behind closed doors and I am sure the whole family should be in weekly counselling sessions but the bottom line is that you cannot go around stabbing people, provoked or not. Hopefully the young man can get the help he needs from jail and his probation afterwards. Hopefully pride or emabarassment doesn’t prevent the rest of the family from seeking assistance as well.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yea, guys whom abuse children are totally normal. You are an enabler.

      • Anonymous says:

        Unfortunately, in Cayman and the rest of the Caribbean – they are very normal. Traditional child rearing involved plenty of physical abuse. And let’s not start on the sexual abuse that is swept under the rug and enabled by so many women in our society. It’s very, very sad and why we end up with so many broken adults.

  10. Anonymous says:

    This incident is a failing at a state level. How can someone be convicted of child abuse and the child/abuser still be allowed to remain at the some home?

    Police made aware prior to incident with knowledge of previous abuse and likely other reports.

    While on bail? Where was the suspect staying? Likely at the same address?

  11. Anonymous says:

    If you can beat a female employee in an unprovoked intoxicated rage that is captured on film and still keep your job in the highest echelon of government this poor youth that has suffered abuse at the hands of his trusted guardians will be surely be fine.

  12. Anonymous says:

    I have to consider several other factors here and one thing really stands out.

    * Why did the mother continue to subject the boy to abuse at the hands of his step father? The mother has to acknowledge her role in this. After being found guilty of abusing the boy, the two remained living in the same household. This just doesn’t sit right with me.

    * WOMEN – WE HAVE TO KNOW WHEN TO DISPOSE OF GARBAGE!

    I hope he does not get jail time for this. He seems troubled and tormented and needs counselling.

    • Anonymous says:

      Exactly! As a mother, I would NEVER allow someone to abuse my kids, worse if it’s a next man that I’m with. Stories like this breaks my heart. How could you as a mother allow this to happen to your child/children??? Come on man!!!!

    • Anonymous says:

      Exactly! If she continued to live, with a MINOR child, in the house with someone that abused her child, SHE should have been charged with negligence/abuse/something when he was a child.

      However, this “child” is now an ADULT and had obviously chosen to continue living there. He was over 18 when he committed this offense. If his stepfather was so evil and dangerous that he feared fir his safety there, why wouldn’t he move himself out as soon as he was of age.

  13. Anonymous says:

    The police warned several days before that they wanted the video footage…!!
    Brilliant, just brilliant police work .

  14. Anonymous says:

    But the officers who were investigating the case warned Wellington they wanted to seize the camera and potential footage several days before they came to collect the equipment.

    By that time there was a problem with the camera card and no footage was ever recovered.- NO ONE SEES ANYTHING WRONG WITH THIS !!!!!!!!! WOW JUST WOW

    • Anonymous says:

      #worldclass

    • Anonymous says:

      And what consequences for the police officer(s) responsible for this? Absolutely none. Because of course, warning someone that they intend in four days time to collect a potential piece of evidence which may allegedly contradict his version of events and cast new light on the incident does in no way encourage them to dispose of said evidence. These police officers need some serious remedial training as a minimum, and an inquiry as to how this was allowed to happen. I won’t hold my breath.

  15. Anonymous says:

    Taylor, Wellington? “From” North Side? Not!!

  16. Anonymous says:

    No winners here but sloppy work on the police to not get the video footage, no surprise there.

  17. Anonymous says:

    That poor excuse for a ‘father’ should be held accountable for his long term abuse… But shhhhhhh Don’t tell anybody.
    Beating your kids is okay here.
    You can even beat your employees in a bar that you part own. On video. And still get away with it.
    Anxious to know what this sentence will be!!!!
    Hide and watch

    • Anonymous says:

      This isn’t a criminal case this is a much deeper issue and won’t be resolved via the criminal justice system!

  18. Anonymous says:

    That’s a bad deal all around.

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