FALMOUTH, Trelawny – Dennis Meadows, who will be contesting the Trelawny Northern seat for the People’s National Party in the next general election, says he has been receiving death threats on his cellphone from an unknown caller.
The Falmouth police are investigating.
“We received a report from Mr Meadows indicating that he was threatened via the telephone. We are giving it our full attention,” commander of the Trelawny Police Division, Deputy Superintendent of Police Winston Milton told the Jamaica Observer.
Meadows said the “threatening calls from a private number” began with his “quest to represent the PNP”.
“I ignored them as par for the course but since my formalisation as candidate for the People’s National Party, the calls have increased in frequency. I decided to install a recorder on my phone, which captured the last call,” he said.
The former Government senator, who became a member of the PNP last October, says he remains firm in his resolve to win the seat for the Opposition.
“I will not be daunted or cower in my efforts to represent the People’s National Party in the next general election. No intimidation by threats will put me off course in my journey to represent the people of North Trelawny,” Meadows told the Observer on Tuesday.
However, he said he is concerned about the safety of his family, which is why he reported the matter to the police and decided to speak publicly about it.
“I’ve moved to improve my personal security and that of my family. As we all observed, people have been killed for less than power, and I will ensure that my family is protected,” he added.
Meadows had failed in three previous attempts to win Trelawny Northern while on a JLP ticket. The seat is currently held by the JLP’s Tova Hamilton, an attorney-at-law.