Magistrates' Court early next year.

Burnell Howard Cross, 56, of Sound View Road, Sandys Parish, appeared before Acting Magistrate Kim White yesterday asking that a date be set as soon as possible so he could clear his name and get back to work.

Cross is charged with threatening with a knife 54-year-old American tourist Frank Farley after he accidentally hit his taxi with another car's door at Horseshoe Bay car park last July. A trial date was originally set for earlier this week, but the matter was adjourned after Crown counsel Leighton Rochester requested more time to gather the case's five witnesses, some of whom live overseas. Yesterday Crown counsel Veronica Daley supported Mr. Rochester's request, asking that the trial be put off until after the holiday season.

"I would ask you to keep in mind that this incident does involve the threatening of a tourist,'' she said. "The Crown would like to have the complainant present to testify in these proceedings.'' But Mr. White said he was under obligation to take into consideration, not just the complainant's convenience, but the defendant's as well.

Cross had already complained that "coming here has cost me thousands of dollars in itself''.

So far he has had no legal representation because, according to him: "I can't afford one after being out of work for so long.'' "I haven't been working since this thing started,'' he explained, "because they took my licence away before I could be tried.'' Mr. White pointed out that that issue was not a matter for the courts.

He added: "If you wanted to appeal that decision, you should have taken issue with the Public Vehicles Licensing Board.'' A trial date was set for January 17 before Senior Magistrate William Francis and Cross' bail was extended.