Wayne Richard Headley, an electrical student whose address was given as Welchman Hall, St Thomas, was fined $750 in one week, with the alternative of a week in prison, after admitting that he had a flick knife in his possession at the Bridge Street branch of Burger King last Saturday. The fine was paid.
According to the facts which Sergeant Theodore McClean presented before acting Magistrate Elwood Watts in a Bridgetown court yesterday, Daniel Clarke, a security guard, saw Headley sitting in the fast food restaurant. He approached Headley and told him if he was not a paying customer, he would have to leave.
Headley moved from that seat to another. Clarke went to him a second time and repeated his request. It was then that Headley allegedly pulled a knife and threatened to stab the guard. When the police arrived, a flick knife was found in his possession.
Headley told acting Magistrate Watts that he was pursuing electrical studies and even though he was not working last Saturday, he had the bag in which he carries the knife with him but never takes it out. He said he had gone into Burger King to use its free WiFi, just as others do, but the guard came to him.
He recalled Clarke asking him if he was waiting on anybody and when he replied “no”, the guard informed him that he could not “lime” there. He therefore got up, purchased a drink and told the guard: “I am now a customer so I won’t have to leave.”
Headley said the guard then became very angry and began removing his baton. Headley said he told the guard: “If you put your hands on me, I will use any force necessary to defend myself.” Headley said he told the guard that loudly, until a cashier intervened and asked the guard to relax himself since Headley had bought something.
The convicted man said he never pulled the knife on Clarke nor threatened to stab him.
Referring to two previous convictions against Headley that included threats, acting Magistrate Watts said he was reluctant to send a student to prison but Headley had proven to be “a hard ears student”.
“Mr Headley, you can’t walk around threatening people, you hear me? And a security officer at that,” the magistrate remarked.