Masman Edwin Worrell, who highlighted the move by the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) to disqualify ten winning masqueraders, has now reported alleged death threats to the Morvant Police Station. Worrell reported that after he made public the move to disqualify the bands, he received over seven calls threatening his life. The calls, he said, were very violent and often included knowledge of where he was living. One call came just before Worrell met with the Sunday Guardian last Wednesday.
“Look, look at my phone. I just get a call saying that I brave to be walking on Charlotte Street,” Worrell said, adding that he was going back to the police station to update the report. Since Worrell spoke out against the attempted disqualifications, he said, he had received more than eight calls from blocked numbers threatening to kill him for allegedly “speaking out against the boss.” “Since that article came out, within three days I got six calls,” Worrell said.
While Worrell said he knew who was making the threats, he had given the police signed permission to access and search his mobile phone account to ensure they caught the culprit. Three weeks ago, the Sunday Guardian reported a move to disqualify ten winning masqueraders from the carnival competition. It was reported then that NCBA chief David Lopez and two other executives met with Worrell and several other masqueraders and asked them to sign an agreement to accept their disqualifications. Worrell refused and led the group out of the office.
This, however, was denied by the NCBA through its PR company, Cirrus Communications, which claimed Worrell and the other masqueraders never met with Lopez. However, the Sunday Guardian has learned that police investigators reviewing Worrell’s claims are now trying to access the NCBA’s CCTV surveillance recordings. Worrell also made a police report about who he believed was behind the sudden threats.
“I am keeping in touch with the police to make sure this investigation is complete,” he said. The Sunday Guardian forwarded questions regarding the alleged threats to Cirrus Communications director Colin Greaves, who denied any involvement by the NCBA. “The NCBA and Mr Lopez have no knowledge of or involvement in any such alleged threats being made to Mr Worrell. However, if threats have been made, Mr Lopez finds it quite unfortunate and strongly condemns the act. He hopes that the police will be successful in their investigations,” Greaves said on Lopez’s behalf.