Prime Minister Andrew Holness has condemned the recent attack on a 14-year-old girl in Clarendon by a group of women, revealing that he was distressed when he witnessed the viral video that displayed “savage violence”.

Holness made the remarks during a tour of areas in Portland that were severely affected by recent weather conditions that caused damage to infrastructure and farms across the parish.

“I saw a terrible video of a young lady being beaten…I was very distressed by this kind of savage violence being unleashed on a child by adults who seem to have no faculty of understanding that this is something that shouldn’t be done. And even after they were being taken away, they seem to be, you know, as if they did nothing wrong. It’s confounding to me how people can be so brutish to each other, and it is worrisome,” he said in a video post about the incident.

He added that the Government will be taking steps to address the high level of violence in the society. He shared that currently, an assessment of the country’s violence data is being conducted.

The incident, which took place on Holland Street in Denbigh, Clarendon, on December 30, went viral on social media, sparking public outcry for the nation’s children to be protected and those responsible persecuted.

Since then, seven persons have been arrested and charged over the attack.

The individuals charged are: 52-year-old Pauline Hughes of Woodside district, 36-year-old Shayanne Williams, and 22-year-old Amanda Anderson, both of Havannah district in Clarendon. Their co-accused are three females aged 15, 16, and 17, and a 17-year-old male.

The adults charged are to appear in court on Thursday, January 11.