A Pembroke teenager pleaded guilty to assaulting another youth, claiming it was in retaliation for getting “jumped”.

Marcus Tucker, 16, admitted in Magistrates' Court to causing bodily harm to Prince Gibbons on August 11.

Tucker told Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner: “Before all that happened I got jumped in town by the same guys. I saw them walking where I hung out. I got a machete and wanted to scare them, but it went too far.”

The Court heard that at 9.30pm on Curving Avenue in Pembroke, Mr Gibbons was walking with friends when they were approached by a group of young men near Middle Town Drive, one of whom was brandishing the machete.

His friends ran away and Mr Gibbons was caught. Tucker approached him and punched him in the face while another held the machete to Mr Gibbons' neck.

Police arrived soon after. Based on a description of the assailant, they found and arrested Tucker.

Mr Warner questioned Tucker, who said he was an S2 student at Berkeley Institute.

Tucker's mother pleaded for Mr Warner not to remand her son in custody.

She said that Tucker had been set upon outside Kentucky Fried Chicken earlier that night.

Mr Warner said: “This is exactly what is destroying these communities around Bermuda young boys for silly reasons getting into confrontations, going to serious measures to arm themselves with machetes and guns. It has got to stop.”

Mr Warner adjourned the case to January 7, with bail of $1,000 on surety, and placed Tucker under a 9pm to 6am curfew.