Belize: Father spared 15-year sentence, placed on three-year probation for child neglect case

The judge noted that the toddler had been left alone for several hours and was found wandering in the street crying, highlighting several aggravating factors that made the case more serious.

23rd of November 2025

Belize: The local court gave another chance to a father, identified as Michael Cowo, who in 2022 was charged with leaving his 2-year old child alone at home. Justice Nigel Pilgrim did not impose the 15-year minimum for child abuse in Michael Cowo’s case; instead he placed him on a 3-year probation.

There were many factors in Cowo’s case that weighed favorably for Cowo: strong family support, an indication of his true rehabilitation. He was assessed as low risk of re-offending in his Social Inquiry Report. Meanwhile, his sister Crystal Brown pleaded with the court to grant her brother a second chance to get it right as well as another opportunity to be there for his child.

But Justice Pilgrim said the crime was too serious. The toddler had been left alone for several hours, and wandered into the street crying before a neighbor discovered him. The judge highlighted several aggravating factors that make the case much worse – the age of the child at two years old, such a long period of time being abandoned, Cowo’s drunken state when it happened and his attempt to conceal what had been done which was psychologically traumatic for the child.

Apart from the negative, the Judge considered his lack of previous convictions, good work ethic, genuine remorse and high level of engagement with rehabilitation. He has also been attending alcohol-abuse counseling with the National Drug Abuse Control Council and was recently commended for his performance. His employer also has indicated he would be rehired after his release, describing him as the family's main provider.

As part of the new probation conditions, Cowo is to refrain from consumption of alcohol and non-prescription drugs, participate in counselling, report to a Community Rehabilitation Officer as directed, and maintain good character.

If at any point in the future Cowo breached the conditions of the probation, he will come back to court and be sentenced to the full 15-years of prison time.