Aggravated assault charges stem from sip of wine

We’ve heard people fighting over strange things, but we’ve haven’t heard of two men fighting over a sip of wine. And the Belize City security guard who was charged with committing the crime was spared incarceration even though he allegedly used a knife to attack his victim. According to police, on Thursday at six-thirty-five p.m., forty-seven year old Steven Harris pulled a knife and pointed it at the throat of forty-six year old Antonio Gray. Gray told police that he was standing in front of Kevin’s Shop on Cemetery Road when he was approached by Harris who begged him for some wine that he was drinking. And because he refused, Harris became annoyed and pulled the knife on him. Gray said he became fearful for his life and reported the matter to the police. In magistrate’s court this morning, Harris disputed Gray’s claim and said that he only waved the knife in Gray’s face. And in Harris’ version, it was Gray begging him for some of his wine. It was unclear who actually had the “dutty” wine, but Gray pleaded guilty to the assault charge, though begged the court to spare him prison time since he has a job and his wife is about to give birth. And since Harris had no previous convictions for crimes of the same nature, Senior Magistrate Dorothy Flowers imposed a non-custodial sentence and fined him seven hundred dollars plus five dollars cost of court to be paid by September thirtieth. If he defaults he will spend five months in jail.