A Barbadian laborer has received a judicial reprimand and restraining order following a violent familial confrontation that involved multiple weapons. Samuel Stephen Kenny Fitzherbert Worrell, 38, admitted before the District ‘A’ Traffic Court to threatening his brother John Williams with lethal intent and assault during a December 23 encounter.
The court proceedings revealed a deeply fractured relationship between the siblings. According to testimony, the incident escalated when Williams was cycling along Yearwoods Road in Black Rock and encountered Worrell. The defendant allegedly issued verbal threats before brandishing a cutlass from his backpack. Williams responded by dismounting his bicycle and arming himself with a rock before retreating to report the incident to authorities.
In his defense, Worrell presented an alternative account, claiming he was merely traversing the track when he spotted his relative and addressed him with a derogatory term. Worrell asserted that Williams immediately dropped his bicycle, produced a pair of scissors, and gathered rocks in preparation for assault. Only then, Worrell contended, did he draw the cutlass he routinely uses for property maintenance work.
Presiding Magistrate Alison Burke delivered a mixed verdict, convicting Worrell but issuing a discharge with a stern reprimand for the threatening language. The court noted Worrell’s extensive criminal history—nine previous convictions including six similar offenses—in its decision to impose a one-year binding-over order to keep the peace. Magistrate Burke specified that any violation would result in a $1,000 immediate fine or a six-month prison sentence. She additionally issued explicit instructions for the defendant to maintain maximum possible distance from his brother during future encounters.