Siblings dispute turns bloody over $100k GPL bill; brothers charged

A bitter family dispute fuelled by financial responsibilities exploded into violence last month, which left one brother hospitalised and both brothers standing before the Georgetown Magistrates Courts facing criminal charges Thursday.
The case, presided over by Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, involved Mark Edgill and his brother, Fitzalbert Small.

The two men, who share a residence in Campbellville, Georgetown, were charged separately in relation to a violent altercation on June 9 that allegedly stemmed from a dispute over an electricity bill exceeding $100,000.
Edgill, a maintenance technician employed by Texila American University, was slapped with a charge of felonious wounding after he allegedly attacked his brother with a hammer and doused his face with oil mixed with pepper during a heated confrontation inside their home. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Small, who works at the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), also faced a charge of assault in connection with the same incident. He, too, denied any wrongdoing and entered a not guilty plea.
Both men were released on bail: Edgill was granted $75,000 bail, while Small was released on $10,000 bail.

In court, Small gave an emotionally charged account of what he described as an ongoing and increasingly hostile relationship with his younger brother.
He said that tensions had been building for some time over household responsibilities, particularly their shared utility expenses. According to him, the breaking point came when their monthly electricity bill surged past the $100,000 mark.
Small claimed that when GPL field staff visited the Campbellville property to investigate the account, Edgill pointed them in his direction, telling them that Small is an employee at GPL. This, Small argued, embarrassed him professionally.
He told the court that in an effort to de-escalate the situation, he had converted the home’s electrical system to a prepaid meter, allowing them to better manage consumption. However, despite that change, arguments continued to erupt.
The situation escalated dramatically on June 9.
During that confrontation, Small alleged Edgill threw oil laced with hot pepper into his face and chased him before striking him across the head with a hammer. He was taken to the hospital, where he received several stitches to close the wounds.
“He chased me down the steps and ran behind me, and he said he was going to kill me,” he claimed.
In addition to his physical injuries, Small said the altercation left him emotionally traumatised. He told the court he now lives in constant fear of another attack.
“I only sleep when he goes to work. I stay by a friend most nights…,” Small revealed.
He also alleged years of verbal abuse and intimidation, saying that the June 9 attack was only the most severe in a long pattern of toxic behaviour.
He further alleged that Edgill had been attempting to control how he used the property, despite the home being shared and both men contributing to its upkeep.
Edgill was represented by attorney-at-law Audreanna Thompson, who disputed the complainant’s version of events. The lawyer told the court that her client was merely defending himself during a family misunderstanding that spiralled out of control.
She emphasised that Edgill is a full-time employee with no criminal record and argued that he was not a flight risk. She also claimed that there had been no further incidents between the two since the June altercation.
She asked the court to grant reasonable bail, noting that Edgill had already spent time in custody and had previously been released on $30,000 station bail.
However, the prosecution warned that this was not an isolated incident. The court was informed that the two brothers had previously been before the court earlier this year in relation to another domestic dispute, which resulted in them both being bonded to keep the peace.
Despite this, the magistrate granted bail in the sum of $75,000, along with a stern warning.
His brother, Fitzalbert Small, who is accused of assaulting Edgill during the same encounter, was granted $10,000 bail.
Magistrate McGusty urged both men to stay away from each other. The matter has been adjourned until August 8, when both cases will be called again.