OVERFLOW OF EMOTIONS AT THANKSGIVING SERVICE
There was an outpouring of grief at the thanksgiving service for nine-year-old Taliyah Thompson who was raped and murdered in September.
(Taliyah’s mother Jessica Taylor is comforted by Minister of Education Fayval Williams)
It was held at the Palmer’s Cross Seventh Day Adventist Church and saw the Pastor, from the pulpit, having to tell mourners that they were to behave and prevent the police from getting involved.
Taliya’s mother, Jessica Taylor broke down with grief and was supported by the Minister of Education, Fayval Williams, and personnel from the Child Protection and Family Service Agency (CPFSA)
(Tributes to Taliyah from friends and schoolmates)
The service was attended by many from Discovery Bay, including a large contingent from Discovery Bay Primary and Infant School where Taliyah was a student. There were also representatives of the Ministry of Education and the ACT call center where the girl’s mother works.
Minister of Education Fayval Williams said the murder of children was not something that society should consider normal.
Mrs Williams said: “Losing a child is a form of devastation like no other.”
She said Taliyah was well-spoken of, as a beautiful young girl. She was described by her teachers as promising and reliable. She said Taliyah was “zapped from her family and school community.”
Said the Minister: “The brutality of the attack on her life shocked us all.”
Mrs Williams pointed to some instances of violence against Jamaican children since Taliyah was brutally slain in her home in Discovery Bay.
She said the country should not accept those acts of violence as normal.
Pastor Jason Miller delivered the sermon.
Watch as Floral Tributes are paid to Taliyah:
