magistrate this week.

Mr. Ed Bailey said he could not continue representing his client with Magistrate the Wor. Ed King on the bench.

"I cannot continue if you are going to continue to hear this matter,'' he said on Monday.

Mr. Bailey accused Mr. King of continually interrupting his cross-examination of a prosecution witness, and "shouting'' at him.

"I cannot sit here and tolerate it. I think it's unfair to be subjected to this sort of behaviour.'' He complained Mr. King had admonished him as if he was a schoolchild.

And he told the magistrate: "I have sat before more eminent people than yourself.'' Earlier, Mr. King had warned Mr. Bailey about his courtroom behaviour, telling him not to be rude.

On one occasion, he demanded an apology when Mr. Bailey, protesting that his cross-examination was being interrupted, told him: "You ask the questions, I will just try to catch up.'' The clash occurred during the trial of Randall King, of St. George's, who denies assaulting Oraefo Adisa, a co-worker at the Works and Engineering quarry office in Bailey's Bay.

It is alleged King, a clerk, struck Adisa in the face on May 9 last year with a document, causing an injury to his right eye.

Throughout yesterday afternoon Adisa was on the witness stand.

"I was assaulted and my right eye was injured by Randall King and the blow knocked me 10 feet across the room,'' Adisa said.

Mr. Bailey and Mr. King clashed repeatedly -- once when the lawyer tried to introduce as evidence a letter, dated January 16 1995, from Adisa to his bosses.

The letter, said Mr. Bailey, would attack the credibility of Adisa as a witness.

But Mr. King ruled the letter inadmissible because it was written after the date of the alleged assault.

The real flash point between the two occurred, however, when Mr. King questioned Mr. Bailey over his definition of assault.

Mr. King said there was a difference between a lawyer's understanding of assault, and a layman's.

It was only fair for Adisa that Mr. Bailey define what he meant.

Mr. Bailey protested he could no longer continue with the case, saying he was being prevented from cross-examination.

The case was adjourned to August 24.

Later, Mr. Bailey told The Royal Gazette : "I want to make it clear there is no bad blood between myself and Mr. King. I just want to ensure fairness for my client.''