A member of Portia Simpson Miller's security team yesterday threatened a journalist at the Negril Golf Club, Westmoreland, where a meeting of the People's National Party's (PNP) National Executive Council was being held.

The policeman accused a Gleaner photographer of attempting to zoom in on a confidential document which was in the hands of Dr. D.K. Duncan, who is fighting in the courts to win the Eastern Hanover seat by way of a magisterial recount.

The photographer denied attempting to photograph the document, but the policeman, in the presence of members of the PNP hierarchy, including Mrs. Simpson Miller, threatened to throw out the photographer and left little to the imagination, implying that if the incident had taken place on the road, it could have got uglier.

"Yuh lucky seh a nuh outta road yuh deh, else mi woudda mash yuh up!" the policeman said.

He repeated this later when he again confronted the photographer, who this time, was speaking with the PNP communications officer, Christopher Castriota.

This time, PNP chairman Robert Pickersgill and General Secretary Donald Buchanan and other journalists were in earshot range. Another man, who joined the policeman in the verbal assault, promised to smash the camera if the photographer attempted to take any more pictures.

Mr. Buchanan attempted to quell the argument by insisting the photographer shut up, even while the policeman continued his tirade.

One woman in a group which made known its feelings as to the position it took towards journalists, said, "Mi hate dem more dan even Labourite."