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Up until Monday, Damion "Fello" Garbutt was a UDP supporter little known outside of Belize Rural where he is a general for area rep Edmond Castro.  But after being punched by the PUP Standard Bearer Marconi Leal on Saturday, his name, and his right cross, became well known across the country.

Well, tonight, Garbutt is making news again - and this time it's because he says he wants to press criminal charges against Leal for assault.  That's is a change, because on the night after the fight, he told police he didn't want to press charges.  But, now he says a conversation that Leal had with his sister has forced him to change his position in the interest of his own safety:..

Damion "Fello" Garbutt - Complaint against Marconi Leal
"The night at the police station, he was detained and I was detained as well.  Like I said I am a law abiding citizen I am not someone going around causing problem and destroying...So I told the man I don't really have any further court proceedings...I didn't really, you know?  But then this gentleman called my sister yesterday and told my sister, ahm, he doesn't have to do me anything, but he will pay for them to break me up.  Soh now Jules I left my life in danger, now." 

Jules Vasquez
"Are you sure about that sir?"

Damion "Fello" Garbutt
"Positive."

Jules Vasquez
"That is a very serious allegation, that he's telling a family member of yours, he's making threats through a family member. Is that what you're saying?" 

Damion "Fello" Garbutt
"Yes sir."

Jules Vasquez
"You're sure of this?"

Damion "Fello" Garbutt
"Positive of this and it is my big sister. I mean to say, I wonder if this individual is crazy." 

Jules Vasquez
"So what will you do now?"

Damion "Fello" Garbutt
"I am proceeding after advised by my attorney; I am proceeding to the police station right after this interview." 

Jules Vasquez
"You will press charges against him for assault?"

Damion "Fello" Garbutt
"I will press charges for Saturday event and I will make a statement on the alleged threat that was sent to me via a family member."

Garbutt said he would make a compliant today.  

We spoke to Leal very briefly today.  He said he doesn't know where Garbutt got that story from.  He agrees he did speak to Garbutt's sister but says he didn't tell her anything about breaking up anyone.  He says Garbutt is making up whatever he wants, and then told us he has nothing more to say on the matter.  

But we did have more to ask Garbutt.  While Leal did throw the first blow, the PUP standard bearer says it was a wrong reaction to years of harassment from Garbutt.  Garbutt says he did not harass or verbally abuse Leal, he was coming from a family day with his kids at Old Belize, and had those kids waiting in the car:..

Damion "Fello" Garbutt
"When I exit the car I was approached by the said individual in the video saying a lot of uncalled for words to me. I wasn't the one saying nothing. I was just proceeding to the grocery store to purchase my, what I was gonna purchased noh.  And, he was the one coming to me and saying all sort of stuff to me. Like I had a smile on my face Jules.  I mean, what you're saying doesn't even make sense."

"But when he reached me i had a smile on my face and i kind of just, well, he is already in my face, so there's no way you can haul for your gun and then I won't be able to do anything.  So when this man hit me was when I put the pint down and then I reacted in a self-defence manner."

Jules Vasquez
"Mr Leal has said that there has been a history of taunts and intimidation from you. The report I receive was that on that specific day, you taunt the man; you gave him a personal insult. Now he has admitted he's wrong as a politician, he can't react to that but he is saying that you have a history of doing it and you did it on that day."

Damion "Fello" Garbutt
"I have several witnesses that right at the Chinese that day, that was there before I reach that know that when I come out that car, my mouth was zip. I wasn't the one saying anything - actually the video shows he was the one walking towards me passing all the remarks."

Now, with the fight last Saturday, followed by the burning of Edmond Castro's cane fields, and now this request for court action, what will happen on referendum day? Garbutt says he worries:

Jules Vasquez
"Are you concerned that on April 10th some of these same tensions might boil over because everybody will be emotional and there will be beef between PUP and UDP camps in Belize Rural North."

Damion "Fello" Garbutt
"It gonna be two different camps vying for different objectives, so like I said you never know how the tension might get but with these threats uttering and issuing before that said day, it just leaves one to think that on that day it would probably get worse."

Leal defeated Garbutt for the chairman's post in the village council elections of 2016.