themselves in the middle of a violent family feud, Magistrates' Court heard yesterday.

They were threatened with a pan of hot rice and a telephone wielded by father of the house Jerome Crockwell, 63, prosecutor Sgt. Wilbert McLean said.

But Crockwell told the court the Police made the situation worse, and then injured his eye by handling him "like a piece of meat''.

Sgt. McLean said the incident happened at the Crockwell home on Cooks Hill Lane, Sandys, at around 9 p.m. on May 18. Police went in, invited by Crockwell's wife.

"It became very obvious that there was going to be a serious breach of the peace,'' said Sgt. McLean.

Crockwell swore at the officers and told them to leave, threatening them with a saucepan of rice from a red-hot burner and then a telephone, said Sgt.

McLean. Crockwell was arrested.

Crockwell admitted using threatening behaviour and offensive words, and was fined $200.

One of his sons told the court his brother had threatened his father with a machete, but left the scene before Police arrived. He was calming the situation by putting his arms around his father and holding him back. "The first thing the Police did was to say `You're under arrest' instead of trying to see what the problem was. They just came in and took my father because my brother was gone.'' Crockwell said he had a "few drinks'' that afternoon but to his knowledge he did not use offensive words. He had the rice ready to throw at the son he had been arguing with, he said."The Police came to my house and more or less put more flame on the fire.'' Senior Magistrate the Wor. Will Francis told him: "The Police were trying to put the lid on the situation and stop the pot boiling over.

"Sometimes we have to use a little damage to prevent a lot of damage. If they hadn't grabbed and handcuffed you then everybody would have been scalded.''