Agricola man remanded for brutal cutlass attack, robbery

A 23-year-old mason from Agricola, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was remanded to prison on Friday after he was charged for a vicious robbery that left a man severely injured and fearing for his life.

Brandon Williams of Lot 61 Agricola, appeared before acting Chief Magistrate (ag) Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. He is accused of committing robbery under arms in the Agricola village on April 30.
According to the charge, Williams, while armed with a cutlass and in the company of others, robbed Kweisi Lewis of an Akunya cellphone valued at $150,000 and $40,000 in cash, amounting to a total of $190,000.
During the proceedings, the prosecution strongly opposed bail. The court was told that Williams had previously appeared before the court in 2023, when he was remanded for two years. Prosecutors claimed that in the present matter, Williams admitted to chopping the virtual complainant (VC), though no video footage was available to corroborate that statement.
The prosecution also expressed concern over the risk of witness tampering, as the accused and the complainant both reside in close proximity.
Kweisi Lewis, the VC, told the court that Williams had been sending threats through intermediaries, warning that he would be killed if he ever returned to the village.
Lewis explained to the court that the attack followed a dispute involving his girlfriend and another woman said to be connected to one of Williams’ accomplices. He said his girlfriend made a report against the female and police were called into the village. Williams and another man allegedly confronted Lewis, accusing him of bringing law enforcement into the community and threatening to “ban” him from returning to the community.
Lewis said that on the day of the attack, he had gone to visit a friend living at the front of the village. But before he could get inside, he spotted Williams and another man approaching with cutlasses. He claimed the men kicked down his friend’s door, ransacked the home, and stole his phone and wallet.
When he tried to question their actions, Lewis said they turned on him.
Williams reportedly swung a cutlass at his head. In an attempt to defend himself, Lewis raised his hand, which absorbed the blow, resulting in a deep cut to his wrist. He was then chopped several more times about his body by both men.
Despite his injuries, Lewis managed to flee the scene and run into a nearby yard behind the village.
He told the court that, at the time, he was in much pain but couldn’t scream, and had to suppress his groans to avoid being found, as the attackers continued searching for him throughout the village.
Eventually Lewis said, he wrapped his bleeding hand with his vest and made a desperate run toward the public road. His wrist was reportedly sliced so deeply that the bone was exposed. Once on the road, he tried to flag down passing vehicles and begged people for help. But no one stopped. Weak from blood loss, he claimed he passed out on the roadside.
When he regained consciousness, Lewis said he again pleaded for help. He then saw a police vehicle approaching and used the last of his strength to roll himself into the middle of the road to get their attention.
Officers exited the vehicle and seemingly shocked by the extent of his injuries, quickly placed him in the back and rushed him to the hospital. Lewis recalled that the last thing he heard was one of the officers asking for his name and what had happened, before he passed out again.
He remained hospitalised for three days before he was discharged.
The man further told the court that even though he stopped going to the community, Williams and his accomplice have been sending threats to him, that they will “shoot” him and kill him on the next occasion.
Given the serious nature of the attack and the ongoing threats to the VC, Magistrate McGusty denied bail and remanded Williams to prison. The matter was adjourned until August 8.