A veteran politician told Magistrates’ Court that a constituent threatened to strike him in a confrontation outside a Hamilton Parish church.

Richard Foggo has denied allegations that he threatened Derrick Burgess, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, in an incident that took place on October 23 last year.

While Mr Burgess told the court that Mr Foggo had threatened to hit him in the head, Mr Foggo said he had never made threats against the Member of Parliament.

“I have no problem with Mr Burgess,” he said. “I just wanted him to address the trucking situation. That was it.”

During a trial in Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Mr Burgess told the court that he knew Mr Foggo as one of his constituents, but did not have any more of a relationship with him than that.

He said that in August last year, there was an incident when he was riding his bike on Crawl Hill when Mr Foggo pulled alongside him and began to “utter some words”, although Mr Burgess said he did not pay attention to what was being said.

Mr Burgess said Mr Foggo was riding very close to him, stating: “If I wanted to, I could have touched him or he could have touched me.”

He told the court that he turned on to Radnor Road and Mr Foggo did the same and they continued to Peter’s Road.

“I indicated to go right on Peter’s Road and he turned on the other side of me and rode across me where I could not go any farther,” Mr Burgess said.

“I asked him to move. I probably asked him two or three times, but he eventually moved and I continued on my journey and he followed me.”

He said Mr Foggo stopped when he pulled into a private property in the area.

On October 20 last year, Mr Burgess said he came across Mr Foggo again outside Crawl Gospel Chapel.

“He said words to the effect of ‘when are we going to have this talk’,” Mr Burgess said. “I responded back I wouldn’t have any conversation with him and rode off towards the church.

“While in church, about 15 minutes after the service started, Mr Foggo came in and sat in the same pew where I was sat.

“While the scripture was being read, he was uttering in undertones, which sort of distracted me from what was being said, so I moved to the other side of the church.”

Mr Burgess said that after the service he went outside and got on his bike to leave when Mr Foggo appeared beside him and asked him when they would talk.

“My response was the same,” he said. “I have nothing to say to you, we will never talk.

“As I was buttoning my helmet, his mouth was still going and he said, ‘I will punch you in the head’.”

Mr Burgess said he got off the bike so that he could protect himself, but two other members of the congregation came out and allowed him to leave.

Cross-examined by Mr Foggo, who represented himself, Mr Burgess maintained that the defendant had threatened to hit him.

“I got off my bike because he made a threat. I got off the bike to defend myself in case he decided to carry out that threat,” he said.

Anton Daniels told the court that he had been at Bible studies with Mr Foggo on the morning of the incident.

He said that after the service, he came outside the church and saw Mr Burgess on his bike with Mr Foggo standing near by.

“He was standing just in front of him, aside of him,” Mr Daniels said.

He told the court Mr Burgess started to get off his bike, but he told him to go ahead and leave, describing the parliamentarian as “a little perturbed”.

Mr Daniels accepted that he had not heard any shouting or threats.

While Mr Foggo elected not to take the stand, he maintained his innocence and stated that he had no problem with Mr Burgess.

“I just want my name cleared,” he said. “That’s it. I haven’t done anything wrong here.”

Magistrate Craig Attridge reserved his judgment on the matter until March 10.

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