Monday 27 July 2009

Child Psychologist Goes Psycho



A Lottery-funded psychologist – whose firm specializes in parent-child relationships – went berserk in front of her twin teenage daughters and bit a stallholder who tried to stop her raiding the till during a dispute over a pair of shoes.

Psychology and Sociology graduate Agnes Remice, 47, boss of 21 Century Parenting has ruined her reputation and career in child care, Inner London Crown Court heard.

“She behaved disgracefully in front of her two daughters,” said Judge Simon Gerald. “It strikes me the defendant needs some kind of anger management course.”

Mother-of-four Remice, of Brunswick Park, Camberwell, denied, but was convicted by a jury of causing actual bodily harm to Kevin Bishenden at Rye Lane Indoor Market, Peckham on June 24, last year.

Her website boasts: ‘Agnes’s project aims to support parents in building effective parenting skills.’

‘Agnes is keen to help young parents with the everyday aspects of raising their children as well as taking care of themselves. She hopes to empower parents and families with the necessary life skills, through a series of workshops.’

Her project is supported by charity UnLtd., of Whitecross Street, Shoreditch which is funded by the  £100m Millenium Awards Trust.

“You are a trained counselor with a degree in psychology and are trained in dealing with special needs children,” Judge Simon Gerald told Remice, (pictured above).“You are trained to deal with people in these situations.”

“It was a serious attack using weapons, namely your teeth. At any time you could have walked away or dealt with things calmly, but you chose not to do that.”

The court heard Remice and her twin 17 year-old daughters – later reprimanded by police for trashing the stall – began arguing over a pair of shoes they bought the day before with the defendant trying to get cash out of the till.

Another stallholder, Mr Bishenden, jumped in and was bitten on the left forearm by Remice. He told police : “She nearly bit through to the bone. I did not realize the pain until later.”

Sentencing Remice to three months imprisonment, suspended for twelve months, plus 175 hours community service work Judge Gerald told her : “I do not accept you have shown any degree of remource. You apologized to your daughters over your disgraceful behaviour, but there was no apology to the shopkeeper or victim.”

He also condemned her performance to the jury. “It was clear you just put on an act. You used your qualifications to add credibility to what you were trying to say.

“The victim intervened to try to stop you robbing the till when you bit him. You continued frantically trying to get into the till and stalked off with your daughters, trashing the shop in your wake,” added the Judge.

“Both your daughters were present and they behaved disgracefully. The public needs to be protected from behaviour like this.”

Her lawyer Paul Sharkey told the court : “It is unlikely she will be able to continue in this field. That moment of madness means all has come to nought.”

Remice was also placed under 12 months probation supervision and ordered to pay  £500 compensation to the victim plus  £500 costs.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is the sort of story that makes my blood boil. There's not much I'd want to see from the Middle Ages but the concept of hue and cry is one of those.

Everyone around who witnessed this outrage should've jumped her and her nasty offspring and beaten them mercilessly to the ground.