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Opposition MP, Sherod Duncan placed on $200,000 bail for allegedly calling GECOM employee ‘jagabat’ and ‘trench crappo’
Kaieteur News – Opposition, Member of Parliament, Sherod Duncan was on Monday placed on $200,000, bail for allegedly referring to the IT Manager of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as a ‘jagabat’ and ‘trench Crappo’.
Sherod Duncan with some of his lawyers at court yesterday.
Duncan appeared in the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman, in the company of a battery of lawyers: attorneys-at-law Khemraj Ramjattan, Nigel Hughes, Narissa Leander and Amanza Walton-Desir.
The MP denied the charge which alleges that on January 11, 2022, without legal or lawful justification or excuse, he used a computer system to publish electronic data about Aneal Giddings, an IT Manager at GECOM, with the intent to humiliate and embarrass and to cause emotional distress.
Cybercrimes are usually done with the use of the internet and the different instruments that it has available. According to Section 19:2 of the Cybercrime Act 2018, “A person commits an offence if he uses a computer system to publish or transmit electronic data that is obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious or indecent with intent to humiliate, harass or cause substantial emotional distress to another person.”
The law stipulates that a person who commits an offence under this section is liable: on summary conviction to a fine of G$5 million dollars and to imprisonment for three years; and on conviction or indictment to a fine of G$10 million dollars and to imprisonment for five years.
Principal Magistrate Latchman first granted the Opposition member bail in the sum of $275,000 but later reduced the bail to $200,000, after an application was made to the court by Duncan’s lawyer. The matter was then adjourned to February 10, 2022.
Opposition, Member of Parliament, Sherod Duncan.
According to reports, Duncan allegedly made derogatory remarks against Giddings during his ‘In the Ring’ talk show. It was reported that around 11:30hrs on Wednesday last (January 12), Giddings, a 36-year-old resident of Diamond, East Bank Demerara, filed a complaint against Duncan, in which it was alleged that the Opposition MP made a number of derogatory statements against him on January 11 last during his show. Duncan is alleged to have referred to Giddings as a ‘jagabat’ and a ‘trench crappo’ among other disrespectful names, which are said to have caused significant emotional stress and humiliation. The police had reported that the video was identified and downloaded from the Facebook page under the name ‘Sherod Avery Duncan’ by Inspector Blair and a statement was taken from Giddings.
Kaieteur News had reported that following the report that was made by Giddings, Duncan was invited to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown. Upon his arrival, he was arrested and the allegation was put to him.
Duncan denied the allegations and was later released on $100,000 station bail and was subsequently brought before the court and charged under the Cybercrime Act.
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