Tonight - there's a whole lotta political jostling to report on - and it all comes out of the Teakettle Village council elections - which were fiercely contested on Sunday.
As you'll know that's where police constables Alicia Trapp alleges she had a face off with area rep for Cayo South Julius Espat. That story has tonight picked up its own messy momentum - and we'll all sides for you shortly.
But, we start with another event that unfolded at that election. It happened right at the entrance to the polling station where UDP Deputy Chairman Alberto August was standing with a number of anti-government placards. A fiesty, well known PUP firebrand, Marie Welcome was also standing there - and she hit his sign after some words were exchanged. Here's what happened next, and here's the reaction of the UDP Chairman Michael Peyrefitte.
Jules Vasquez
"Not a good look for the UDP. Will any sanctions be taken against your deputy chairman?"
Mike Peyrefitte, UDP Chairman
"Well, I recently heard about it about 5-10 minutes before this interview started. I will speak to the vice chairman about it and if it turns that he did indeed assault some female person whether from PUP or UDP or whatever, it doesn't matter. If he wrongly assaulted somebody, if he wasn't defending himself, if he assaulted someone that should not have assaulted, then he will have to answer for that."
Jules Vasquez
"Is there any right way to assault a woman, sir?"
Mike Peyrefitte, UDP Chairman
"What I am saying if you are defending yourself, if somebody come after me with a knife of a gun or a machete or whatever, I can't assault you to defend myself."
Jules Vasquez
"I can assure you that is not the case. He has a sign in his hand, she hit the sign and he retaliated by going after her. Thats what the video shows."
Mike Peyrefitte, UDP Chairman
"I've only heard about a video that exist, I have yet to see the video. I will look at the video and when I look at the video, I will have a conversation with the vice chairman and if he was wrong, then he was wrong and I will be the last person to defend him if he is wrong."
Jules Vasquez
"But if he is wrong, actions have consequences. This is not acceptable behaviour."
Mike Peyrefitte, UDP Chairman
"If he is wrong then I will be the first to say that the UDP doesn't want to associate itself with that and I will then encourage him and encourage the party to ask him to step down from his vice chairmanship, if what I see I don't agree with."
We asked August for a statement and via WhatsApp he told us that Welcome was accompanying area rep Julius Espat on Sunday morning. He says, quote, "We were at the gate in Teakettle village greeting voters as they arrived to cast their ballots. I was engaged with Julius Espat in the usual manner as we do for elections. I was asking him to rescind the village taxes and to lower the price of fuel in line with the posters I held. When, at one point, I gave a half turn and this woman pushed one of the posters I held against me causing it to come in contact with the left side of my face.
The police who witnessed the assault immediately intervened and thankfully held me back otherwise the outcome could have been quite different." End quote.
From there August says Welcome is the one who should have been arrested for assaulting him: "The assault was committed in the presence of at least three policemen at the gate and, despite my request, they refused to detain the woman. They instead advised me to lodge a formal complaint and that only so would they detain her.
I drove to the Roaring Creek police station where a statement was recorded. I was not deterred and continued at the gate after returning from Roaring Creek. The woman was kept from the gate and moved to Ontario Village making periodic visits to Teakettle Village…
The intent, of course, was obviously to get me to commit myself and to put me out of commission for the day.
I am proceeding with charges against this woman… If left unchecked, this woman will continue disrespecting us and she could get us into major problems in the future." End quote.
Well, judging from the statement by his party chairman and party leader Shyne Barrow's well known tensions with August, it may have already gotten him in trouble - but we'll see where it goes. As far as we could find out, Marie Welcome has not made a complaint.
