‘Photo making rounds of man holding cutlass misleading’

The family of Glenroy Primus, the man who swung the cutlass that killed Hilton Thomas, believes the photo showing him holding the murder weapon was taken and circulated maliciously, so as to mislead persons that he was the aggressor.

Although charges have not been laid against Primus in connection with the death of the Mt Pleasant, Marriaqua farmer who was killed on Wednesday, November 16, he remains at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) under 24-hour police watch where he is being treated for injuries sustained during the early morning attack.

The photo, which has been making the rounds on social media, shows a bare-backed Primus covered in blood and dressed in khaki shorts with a shirt draped over his shoulder. A female relative of Primus said the cutlass in Primus’ hands was owned by the deceased, and the blood on Primus was as a result of injuries inflicted on him in the attack.

“The picture going around is of the deceased’s (Thomas) collins. Glenroy Primus’s cutlass, is a farmer’s cutlass where you can see that it is work he does do.”

The relative told SEARCHLIGHT she is upset about the inconsistencies contained in the report issued by the Police Public Relations and Complaints Department.

The police account details that Thomas and Primus came to high words around 1:30 in the morning after Primus accused Thomas of “going to steal”. It is said that Primus then went into Thomas’s yard and allegedly chopped the now deceased with a cutlass several times about the body.

The relative claimed this information about the location of Thomas’ death is incorrect.

“There are blood stains in his (Primus) yard, not the deceased’s yard. If the deceased had accomplished what he came to do at 1:30 in the morning and Primus was dead, all the witnesses around are the deceased’s family members, and no one would have had any evidence to tell the police what they heard or saw. He lives alone and he was alone that night.”

Primus, from his hospital bed provided his version of the incident during an exclusive interview with SEARCHLIGHT.

Primus said he and Thomas had a strained relationship “a few years back” stemming from Thomas’s animals going onto his farm and eating his produce.

He said he had filed reports with police and Thomas had been warned to keep his animals off his land. He said the disputes were settled after police issued a warning to Thomas, adding they had not spoken in the days leading up to the incident.

Primus explained that on November 16 Thomas arrived home in the vehicle of a man from the community. The man asked Primus if he could have some oranges, and when he made his way outside to carry the items for the driver, Primus said Thomas began to verbally assault him.

He said he replied and was then advised by the driver to go back inside his house.

He said he complied and shortly after, Primus said Thomas came over to his house and started banging on his door.

“… me nah really asleep, but me just lay down, the boy (Thomas) come banging on the door. Me and the man na cuss, so me say what he ah do me that fo? I say the man like he come fo kill me.

He say ‘Come out’, so me go and see long cutlass. A new brand cutlass. When me go push the door at the back of the house, he come ‘round now, and me go and me push out. He come chop chop me now.”

Primus showed SEARHLIGHT the injuries he suffered in the attack: two chop wounds to the top of his head, one to the left side of his face which spilt his ear and required 50 stitches, as well as a chop wound to his left shoulder which was deep enough to expose the bone.

He said this injury causes him the most pain and he has limited his mobility on that side.

Primus admitted that he was also armed with a cutlass, however, he said when he raised the weapon to ‘fire one’, the cutlass fell from his hands. He went on to explain that he and the deceased man wrestled each other to gain control of Thomas’s cutlass, resulting in Primus sustaining cuts to his fingers.

“Me hold him ah ground and me get a stone.”

Primus said he used a stone to hit Thomas, but the blow was not enough to immobilize the man. The tussle for the cutlass continued and Primus said he was able to pull the weapon from Thomas’s hands and hold on to it. He said that is when he hit Thomas with it.

“It come like a fight for me to defend myself.”

When asked what was the reason why Thomas attacked him that morning, Primus said he believed the deceased was jealous of the success of his farm.

An exhausted Primus said he does not feel good about the outcome of the incident and he added, “me done mek up me mind to serve time”.

The relative of Primus called on police to conduct an impartial investigation and not to allow familial ties to the deceased to cloud the judgement of investigating officers.