A 19-year-old Hamilton Parish youth received a $250 fine after he pleaded guilty to possession of an eight-inch knife in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Omar Patterson, of North Shore, answered the offensive weapon charge before Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves after he was discovered by Police having thrown an eight-inch black handled knife over a wall.

The court heard that Police officers responding to a fight on Court Street early yesterday morning, saw Patterson throw the knife over a wall.

Officers retrieved the weapon and questioned Patterson who said: “All this fighting between town and country boys, I got to protect to myself. I watched my brother getting stabbed.”

Crown counsel Wayne Caines told the court that Patterson was carrying the eight-inch blade in his pocket. And he urged Mr. Greaves to view it as a severe offence.

But Patterson denied the prosecution's argument.

“I didn't say nothing like that. I always have a knife in my pocket,” he said.

Patterson told the court he was carrying the knife as protection since one of his friends had been attacked three weeks ago.

“Before I went to college I used to be seen with him (the friend),” he said.

“When I arrived they were looking at me strange. I had the knife that night because it was in my pocket.”

“Let me tell you a story,” said Mr. Greaves. “It happened to me when I was a boy. I used to get into fights, but I learned early. Leave out the weapons, leave out the knife.

“The other guys, they always got into more trouble than I did. If you don't have it, you can't use it, you don't need a knife,” he said. “Live in peace.”

Patterson was fined $250.