Davian Flores Sentenced to One Year for Child Cruelty

Thirty-three-year-old Davian Flores was sentenced to one year in prison this week on two counts of child cruelty.

Flores gained national attention in May when two videos showing him brutalizing a three-year-old relative went viral on social media. Senior Magistrate Baja Shoman stated that a prison sentence was necessary, deeming a fine inappropriate given the severity of the circumstances.

During her summation, Shoman noted Flores’s apparent remorse and early guilty plea as mitigating factors. However, she emphasized that the age of the child and the psychological trauma inflicted outweighed these considerations. Shoman explained that she could have reduced Flores’s sentence by up to one-third due to the early guilty plea but chose not to, intending to send a strong message against child abuse.

Flores received a one-year sentence for each count of child cruelty, with the sentences to run concurrently. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams personally prosecuted the case, underscoring the need to review legislation related to such offenses. "One of the flaws I see in the law is that we would not have been able to charge Flores for cruelty to a child if he wasn't related to the child," Williams explained. "Cruelty to a child is cruelty to a child, regardless of any familial connection."

Williams indicated he has discussed the issue with the Ministry of Human Development, advocating for a revision of the law to prescribe stiffer penalties. “It’s something I have discussed with the Minister of Human Development and we’re looking at a revision of the law to make it a more serious offense as well as to remove some of those elements that exist in order for the offense to be created.”

No timeline for the legal review was disclosed. Initially hesitant to file charges, the victim's mother eventually cooperated with the police. Flores was first charged with common assault, but Williams directed investigators from the Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) to gather additional evidence. The DVU’s findings led the Director of Public Prosecutions to upgrade the charge to child cruelty.