MONTEGO BAY, St James — An outburst of booze-fuelled fury nearly landed a 60-year-old man behind bars, but a suspended sentence gave him a lifeline when he appeared before the St James Parish Court last Wednesday.

Anthony Allen appeared before Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton charged with malicious destruction of property after an incident that left his mother distressed and her property damaged.

Court documents revealed that on August 27, around 4:30 pm, Allen — reportedly drunk — was heard cursing people on the road before storming into his mother’s Capital Heights, St James, home and chopping up her dining table. Despite pleas from the complainant who urged, “Nuh mash up mi flowers,” Allen continued, causing damage estimated at $45,000.

His mother also told the court that Allen had threatened her during the outburst and that such destructive behaviour was not a one-time event. She said it was his “custom to damage things” in her home “whenever he is drunk”.

Allen then begged Justice Fairclough-Hylton to give him a chance, saying, “I probably won’t live to come out of prison because I am sickly.”

The judge then advised Allen’s mother, “I know you don’t want me to send him to prison but I need to send a message to him. He needs to know that he cannot behave like that.”

Turning to Allen, the judge issued a stern warning: “Don’t take up what you can’t manage; if you cannot manage liquor, leave it alone.”

While acknowledging Allen’s health concerns, the judge emphasised that a message had to be sent that such conduct was unacceptable.

Allen was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, but the term was suspended for three years, with two years of supervision, giving him a chance, but under close watch.