A customer and a grocery store owner were each charged with abusive language and threatening language yesterday after a row broke out between the two over a $500 bill.
Otis Khan, 42, a grocery store owner of 34 Savage Street, East La Penitence pleaded not guilty to the charges which allege that on January 24 at North East La Penitence he made use of abusive language and threatening language towards Alana Green whereby a breach of the peace may be occasioned.
Green, 23, a clerk of 355 North East La Penitence was also charged with committing the same offences on Khan on the same day and place and she pleaded not guilty.
Khan in his defence told the court that Green had visited his shop on the day in question to buy a Carmel and a $200 Digicel phone card. He said she paid with a $1,000 bill and when he handed over the change, Green asked for the $500 to be changed because she “ain’t want no old money.”
He said that he told her that he had just opened his shop and could not change it.
Khan then told the court that Green became abusive and threatened “to bring she boys and shoot me shop and me bus up.” He said her sister who lives five yards away also joined in the argument.
The next day, Khan went on, he woke up to find the window screen of his bus broken and the brick which was used matched the bricks that made up the road in the street where Green lived, he told the court.
Meanwhile, Green contended that it was an old “tear up” $500 that he gave her and she asked for it to be changed. She said she was on her way to church that day and stopped to purchase the Carmel for her daughter and the phone card.
Green said that she had interrupted Khan, who was arguing with his wife, and he turned his wrath on her and started to verbally abuse her. She said that he threatened to chop her up and continued to verbally abuse her.
Two days later, Green said, the police came to her door and told her of the charges. She added that the brick which Khan said matched the ones in her street is the same between the four corners that separate her from him.
Meanwhile Police Prosecutor Inspector Stephen Telford did not object to bail. The pair was each granted $10,000 bail for using threatening language and self-bail for the use of abusive language by Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson. They are to return to Court 10 on March 26.