Western Bureau:

The case against the gang of five male students from the Green Island High School, in Hanover, who allegedly attacked and beat a bus conductor, has taken a new twist, as the parent of one of the boys has been arrested while another is being sought by the Hanover police.

In the aftermath of the incident, which was captured on video, the police appealed to the parents of the boys to turn them in. However, while the mothers of three of the boys complied and turned in their sons, the other two mothers did not; hence, the decision to arrest one mother and a search launched for the other.

Arrested on a charged of child neglect is 41-year-old Karen Williams, a housekeeper of Cousins Cove in Hanover; while the other mother, whom the police have not identified, was told to report to the Hanover police within 24 hours.

"We made contact with the two mothers and asked them to turn in their sons but they have not done so. Since they are not able to account for the boys, we have no choice but to charge them for child neglect," said Superintendent Sharon Beeput, the commanding officer of the Hanover police division.

Three of the boys who were implicated in the incident, which occurred on March 7, 2018, were handed over to the police within 48 hours of the incident. They were subsequently arrested and charged with assault, wounding and malicious destruction of property.

They have since made one appearance in the Lucea Parish Court, were remanded in custody and are to re-appear tomorrow when the case against them will continue. They are being held at the Metcalfe Street correctional centre in Kingston.

In the aftermath of the incident, Beeput said the video, which was apparently recorded by a female student and posted on the Internet, was of very good quality, which allowed for easy identification of the boys.

"The quality of the video was very good, so it was easy to identify the boys; we were even able to hear what they were saying as they carried out the attack," explained Beeput.