Two men are in police custody for the murder of Mahdia resident Andre Britton who was stabbed to death on New Year’s Day after he upbraided some young men for throwing firecrackers into his yard.
The body of the miner, age 50 is scheduled to be transported to the city today for a postmortem examination to be conducted.
Speaking to Stabroek News by telephone from the Region Eight community, his reputed wife Ann Edwin said that the last update she got from the police was that the alleged stabber and the person who was with him at the time of the incident are in custody. She said that she was told too that charges will be laid but there is no definitive date as court in the area is later in the month and as such they will have to be brought to Georgetown.
Police said in a press release that Britton of 111 Miles Mahdia, Potaro was killed around 0130 hours.
Investigations, police say, have revealed that Britton had earlier confronted a man for throwing squibs into his yard. The man later returned and stabbed him about his body. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Mahdia hospital.
Edwin told this newspaper that based on what she was told, her partner of nine years was pounced upon while on his way to the police station to lodge a complaint.
She related that when she arrived home from church she met Britton’s two sons. She said that she inquired about the whereabouts of their father and was told that “he gone to the police station”.
She said that she asked for what reason and was told that Britton earlier in the night had a confrontation with some young men. Edwin said that the man’s sons related to her that four young men threw “squibs” into the yard and one hit Britton’s son on his leg. Britton it was related went and spoke with the young men who became upset. Two of them later left.
According to Edwin, Britton then told his children that he was heading to the station.
No one knows exactly what happened after that.
When she went to the hospital, the body was lying on a bed with two stab wounds – one to the throat and another to the belly.
Edwin opines that two of the four men were waiting in a dark spot and as her husband passed they attacked him.
She said that his absence will affect her a lot. In addition to a seven-year-old son with Edwin, Britton has four other children.
