A complainant was warned for contempt of court on Tuesday after repeatedly making potentially slanderous remarks about an attorney in defiance of the judge’s orders.

Fisherman Robert Tate brought his colleague Carlton Falconer to court for hitting him with a board during an altercation.

Explaining his actions, Falconer said he hit Tate with the board because the complainant allegedly stole $22,000 from him. According to the accused man, he was standing with Tate on the road in their community when the money fell out of his pocket. After he realised the money was missing, he asked Tate to return the cash, he said.

Tate however denied taking the money and an argument ensued, resulting in Falconer assaulting him.

“Mi slap him fi true,” Falconer confessed.

After Falconer pleaded guilty to the offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague turned to Tate and asked if he would like to be compensated for his injury.

Ignoring the judge’s question, Tate went on a rant about his long-standing feud with Falconer, alleging that he was beaten by Falconer’s friends including an attorney-at-law who he claimed was the leader of a gang.

Despite the judge ordering Tate to stop a number of times before he potentially slandered the attorney, Tate insisted on naming the attorney, saying he was able to “stand on that.”

“Sir, you nuh want to slander anybody and anybody go sue you…,” the judge interjected. “I am here about the assault.”

Even after Cole-Montague’s warning, Tate continued to make explosive allegations about the attorney and being ganged by Falconer’s friends.

Trying to get his attention back to the matter at hand, the judge asked Tate repeatedly if he would like to be compensated, and after Tate finally answered “yes”, he resumed talking about the attorney.

This lasted for some time, as the judge tried to ascertain how much money he would want for his injured hand.

“It is a dangerous thing to call up somebody’s name in the way that you have done it,” she said, before Tate attempted to interrupt her again.

“Hey, I am speaking,” the judge told Tate.

“Have you ever heard about slander, have you ever heard about people suing people for saying things they cannot prove? You say you have your proof, I am not interested in that. I am stopping you and I will not allow it,” Cole-Montague added.

“Sir, you would have to go to a police a make a report… a him one stand up in front of me for assault so me cya think ‘bout no body else… mi cya try somebody who is not before me” the judge said.

“Sir, stop the noise, don’t let me find you in contempt of court. I’m saving you from yourself,” Cole-Montague warned.

A fingerprint order was made for Falconer, and he was ordered to return to court on February 21 for sentencing