Christopher Thomas, STAR Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

A St James man, who threatened a policeman during a court sitting in Montego Bay Friday, earned the wrath of the presiding magistrate, who promptly ordered that he be returned to the holding area to "cool off".

Byron Malcolm, from Flanker, was handcuffed and unceremoniously removed from the court and taken back to the court's cells after loudly issuing threats to the policeman who had arrested him for unlawful possession of property.

Allegations are that on October 3, about 8:30 p.m., the arresting officer saw Malcolm along Barnett Street in Montego Bay with a knapsack and requested a search. The bag was searched and four hubcaps, which earlier had been reported stolen by a motorist, were found. Malcolm was arrested after failing to properly account for the items.

But in court, Malcolm declared that he had found the hubcaps, and added that he had indicated same to the arresting officer.

"I told him is find I find them, your honour. Him always accuse me of things I don't do," Malcolm complained to Resident Magistrate Sandria Wong-Small.

"Can you find somebody to bail you?" the RM asked Malcolm.

"I will stay here till the case is over," replied Malcolm, prompting chuckles in the courtroom.

"Him take my money out of my pocket and say me steal it. Him and me going to fight the next time," continued Malcolm angrily.

"If you do that, you will have to deal with the consequences," Wong-Small said sternly to the defendant. "In my opinion, what you need to do is to stop stealing things."

"Is find me find them in the garbage," Malcolm argued incessantly, causing several court officers to instruct him to be silent.

"Yes, four hubcaps in the garbage," Wong-Small commented sarcastically.

"Three times now him carry me come a jail, and me tired of it," declared Malcolm as he glared at the arresting officer.

"Anywhere me see you, a fight we a go fight," Malcolm said to the lawman, prompting the decision to have him handcuffed and removed from the courtroom.

The RM did not indicate when Malcolm would be brought back to court for the continuation of the case against him.