A man acquitted of the murder of teenager Kellon Hill was yesterday fined for having knuckle-dusters in public.Devon Hairston, 21, was confronted by police Wednesday after they saw him standing on Olive Bank Drive in Warwick, wearing dark clothing and “looking suspicious”.The officers searched the Jones Village, Warwick resident and found a four-fingered, silver knuckle-duster. Asked why he had the weapon, Hairston told officers it was for his own protection.He pleaded guilty to one count of having an offensive weapon in a public place.He was caught with the duster in an increased penalty zone, within 300m of Purvis Primary School.Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner noted that Hairston was convicted in 2007 of several charges, including possessing a bladed article.“Tell me why, not withstanding that conviction, you still see fit to carry prohibited weapons to protect yourself?” he asked.Hairston responded that people see him as a threat because he was one of five teenagers charged with the 2008 murder of Mr Hill, even though he was cleared of all related charges.“Wherever I go I’m a victim. I was acquitted of a murder charge. Police look at me like I’m a threat but I’m not,” he said.“I work. I do everything I’m supposed to do. I’m not a threat. I don’t just go out looking for trouble.“I got acquitted for a murder so everyone wants to try me. What should I do? Get beat up? Run away?”Hairston’s mother stood in support of her son, but Mr Warner told her that one of the main reasons weapons are prohibited is to prevent the escalation of violence.“If everyone goes around armed looking for a fight or to protect themselves from a fight, what kind of place would this be? That is what everybody in the community must understand,” Mr Warner said.The magistrate fined Hairston $1,000 for possessing an offensive weapon and another $500 for having it in an increased penalty zone.