CyberCrime Act being used as ‘political football tool’ – Kay Bacchus-Baptiste

Senator Kay Bacchus-Baptiste says that the New Democratic Party (NDP) intends to guard against the CyberCrime Act being used as a “political football tool.”

Bacchus-Baptiste recently took on the role of defence attorney to Catisha Pierre, who was charged on February 12 with four counts of libel through electronic communication under the CyberCrime Act (2016).

Speaking at a press conference last Friday, hours after her client appeared in court, armed with a letter from Bacchus-Baptiste, saying that she had changed her plea from guilty to not guilty, the attorney explained why she decided to take the case on.

“I was consulted by the lady yesterday and I agreed to take her case, because ultimately it is the first case, and it is interesting because she was not properly advised,” she noted, saying that Pierre told her a policeman had advised her to plead guilty.

She also commented on the way she observed that the Act was being implemented.

“It seems to me that this law is going to be used as a political tool and we’re going to make sure that that doesn’t happen.

“There are a number of other cases. I personally sent one to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which he just simply refused to deal with and refused to answer. So, my question is, is there one law for some people and another law for others?”

She said the matter she had sent to the DPP had dealt with defamatory posts made against her on Facebook, “by a known person who wears red all the time, writes all the time, vilifies a lot of people, and the DPP ignored it. I took copies of it, the post, the picture, the words that were said; nothing was done.”

She said that it was her understanding, as well, that the case she had taken on had “something to do with politics.”

Further, she intoned, “I’m very interested to see what informs him (the DPP) or the prosecution that they would take up some and not others and I can tell you we’re not going to allow this to be used as a political football tool.

“They have brought their first case and it’s going to be defended,” she concluded.(KR)