Acting Senior Magistrate Carlise Greaves complained of lax security in his courtroom when he sentenced a man for carrying a machete in Magistrates? Court.

Gilbert Grimes, 33, of Roberts Avenue, Devonshire was handed a six-month prison term during the plea court session in Magistrates? Court yesterday.

Grimes admitted having the machete on him while facing an unrelated charge before Mr. Greaves on April 7.

During those proceedings, Mr. Greaves sentenced Grimes to six weeks in prison for assaulting Martin Morris. After he was sentenced, he admitted to Police he had ?something on him?.

When officers searched him they found a 20-inch machete.

On one side of the machete it read ?The Peacemaker? and on the other side it said: ?RIP. See you when I get there? Grimes was then arrested and charged with possession of an offensive weapon.

Yesterday, Grimes told the Court: ?This guy called my cell and told me he just brought a gun and the first bullet is for me. I did not think I was getting sentenced that day and thought I?d have to go back to St. George?s to work and that is where the guy stays.

?I had it to protect myself, so I brought the machete with me.?

Mr. Greaves said: ?I do appreciate your honesty but you make the authorities in this Country look stupid.

?You could walk in here with a bomb and kill all of us. They do not take security seriously here.?

Grimes replied: ?If he pulled out a gun I would have chopped him in Court. The guy is threatening my f**cking life. What do you want me to do??

Lawyer Llewellyn Peniston appeared for Grimes and suggested to the court that ?the administration was culpable?.

Mr. Greaves described court security as ?slack?.

He said to Grimes: ?You know I have to lock you up because I need to send a message.?

Crown counsel Shakira Dill said the maximum sentence for the offence was 12 months.

Mr. Greaves issued a nine- month sentence discounting three months for Grimes? honesty.