“I real sorry I said that to the guy but I just thought he had to show me some ID before he touch me,” said Phillip Xavier, when he appeared on Thursday before acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson charged with disorderly conduct and using indecent language to a policeman.
Xavier, 20, of 92 Third Avenue, Subryanville was alleged to have behaved in a disorderly manner on December 17 on Regent Street, within public hearing. It was also alleged that on December 17 on Regent Street, Xavier used indecent language, within public hearing.
Xavier, a supervisor with John Fernandes Limited, pleaded not guilty to both charges. He told the court that he and his friends, who were in a car, were pulled over in front of a restaurant and ordered out of the car. He said that there were four policemen, three in uniform and one in plain clothes. After he and his friends were searched by a uniformed officer, the one in the plain clothes also wanted to search him.
Xavier said that the plain clothes officer had identified himself as a detective and said he too had to search him. Xavier went on to tell the court that he then asked the person who identified himself as a detective to show him his identification and he did not. He admitted that he did use indecent language but it was only once when he told the officer he couldn’t search him without first showing identification.
Prosecutor Inspector Stephen Telford, in response, said that that he was instructed that all the policemen were in uniform. The police, observing that the driver of the vehicle was driving in a dangerous manner, pulled the vehicle over, Telford said.
Telford, in his submissions, told the court that as soon as the car stopped Xavier came out and started cursing the officers and saying that he is a minister’s son and that nobody could touch him. Xavier acknowledged saying that his father is a minister but that he didn’t behave in a disorderly manner.
After listening to both sides, Magistrate Robertson entered a not guilty plea for the disorderly behaviour charge before dismissing it. Xavier was placed on a bond to keep the peace for nine months for using indecent language.
