Jail for man who threatens cop with HIV blood
A HIV-positive DVD vendor was sentenced to 30 days’ hard labour by a Port-of-Spain magistrate for threatening to burst vials of his blood in an police officer’s face after the officer charged him for two offences.
T.R., 34, was also fined $100 for wilfully obstructing a passageway and $500 for selling the DVDs without a licence from the Port-of-Spain City Corporation. He was sentenced and fined by Magistrate Marcia Murray, presiding in the Third Court. PC Anderson Richards, of the Central Business District Patrol Unit, laid all the charges. The court heard that around 7.45 pm on Wednesday, July 29 Roberts was selling DVDs on the pavement in front KFC on Broadway.
Richards, who was on duty, noticed that pedestrians had to step off the sidewalk and unto the road as Robert’s cart was blocking their path. The officer asked the Nelson Street resident for a seller’s licence but he replied: “All you real stupid, how else all you expect me to mind my child. I have AIDS and I will make it bad for all you because I will start walking around with vials of blood and when I see all you I will burst it in all you face. “I will take it to a different level and all you will have to kill me.”
R. was arrested and taken to the Central Police Station. The DVD cart along with 462 DVDs were seized.
He appeared in court in July but the matter was adjourned to a later date, pending tracing. However he never showed up for the new date and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was detained in Port-of-Spain last week. Asked what he had to say about the incident R. told Murray he was HIV positive and was struggling to support his four-year-old son. He said he was selling the DVDs for someone but at times he worked as a taxi driver. “I say them things to the officer but I didn’t threaten to throw no blood at people,” he said. Murray told him that his threats to the officer were serious and were considered as “death threats.” She ordered that the DVDs be destroyed.
