Repeat offender remanded after alleged assault, threats at police station

Mawali Clarke, a 36-year-old vendor of William Street Kitty, has been remanded to prison following his arraignment in the Georgetown
Court of Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty on charges of disorderly behaviour, assault, and using threatening language at the Alberttown Police Station in Georgetown.
Clarke, who is also a repeat offender, appeared before the magistrate without legal representation on Wednesday, and pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
The court was told that these charges stem from an incident that occurred on January 28, when Clarke allegedly assaulted Dwayne Williams, also of Kitty, at the Alberttown Police Station and threatened to shoot, cripple, and confine him to a wheelchair.
Williams testified that on the night in question, he was asleep at home when a loud explosion woke him. Upon checking outside, he discovered his car’s windscreen had been shattered and a bicycle was nearby. He said a neighbour informed him that a man in a white T-shirt was seen fleeing the scene.
He said that after inspecting his car, he realised that nothing was missing, and that led him to believe that someone had simply thrown an object at the vehicle. Determined to find out what had occurred, however, he searched the area multiple times in his damaged car, before switching to a motorcycle. Eventually, he spotted Clarke, who matched the description he was given.
Williams said he confronted Clarke and asked if he had broken into his car, but instead of responding, Clarke began running.
However, Clarke told the court that although he knew Williams (who lived on the other street), he had never done anything to him, and would have no reason to damage his car.
Claiming he is the one who was assaulted, Clarke told the court he was being unfairly accused. He said he had been chased, struck down with a motorcycle, and attacked by Williams and another individual, who attempted to chop him.
He also denied assaulting Williams at the police station, arguing that he had been “heavily restrained.”
Williams, however, furthertestified that despite being handcuffed, Clarke repeatedly attempted to hit him, and threatened to cripple and kill him.
With Clarke repeatedly interrupting Williams’s testimony, Magistrate McGusty had to warn Clarke to remain silent, and his repeated outbursts led to his eventually being denied bail, although he begged the magistrate to be placed on bail, saying he had a family and a business to take care of. His pleas were ignored, and he was remanded to prison until February 12.
The prosecutor also objected to Clarke being placed on bail by citing the severity of the threats and Clarke’s history of arraignment before the court.

Court history
Clarke’s court history showed that, in December 2022, he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for stealing a loaded 12-gauge shotgun and three cartridges from a Sheriff Security guard.
It also showed that, in 2017, he was charged with two counts of knife-point robbery committed on two females. He was spared jail time for that offence, but a 2016 charge for armed robbery resulted in him serving 18 months in prison.