A man caught in a video punching a schoolgirl has been charged

The parent who was recorded in a video allegedly assaulting an Ascot High School student in the Portmore area of St Catherine last week has surrendered to the police.

In the recording, a man punches a girl and sends her sprawling to the ground.

The parent surrendered to the police on Tuesday and was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.

He was granted bail and will appear in the St Catherine Parish Court in the first week of November to answer to the charge, the police confirmed. 

The police did not release the name of the parent.

In the video, which was widely circulated over social media, a woman had earlier confronted the schoolgirl and challenged: Llick her nuh, lick her nuh’, before the man rushed in to deliver the blow that floored the teenager.

Superintendent Hopeton Nicholson, operations officer of the St Catherine South Police, has appealed to parents and guardians to settle disputes without violence. 

“We’re beseeching parents and guardians to liaise with school administrators if issues arise with your child at school. The St Catherine South Police Community Safety and Security Branch will continue to provide counseling for all involved in this incident,” Superintendent Nicholson said.