The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN who defamed his former police girlfriend online because he believed she was responsible for the deaths of his friends was yesterday fined $5,000.

Dre Major was charged with intentional libel after he posted defamatory content of his ex-girlfriend on his Facebook page in April.

The woman, who is a member of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, reported the matter after Major continued to upload embarrassing posts alleging she was affiliated with gang members and at fault for the murders of two of his friends.

When she testified, she said she and Major had dated for four years; however, she said, after they had broken up, he “exploded” and started posting “negative things” about her on Facebook.

The court was told that Major published several Facebook posts stating: “This girl looking to get kill…She on the police force grinding all kind of killers then want come around me like she ain’t doing nothing...When I first know her she did look like a real Haitian”.

The witness said Major’s posts made her feel “hurt” because he was giving her a “bad name” as a police officer.

Following the close of the prosecution’s case, Major chose to remain silent and opted not to call any witnesses to testify on his behalf.

After some deliberation, Magistrate McKinney said the court found the prosecution did prove its case to the “requisite standard” and convicted the accused of intentional libel.

In his sentencing, Magistrate McKinney noted the complainant was a police officer who was charged with upholding the enforcement of the law. He said Major’s actions were especially serious as his posts could have led to his ex-girlfriend receiving criminal threats or even losing her life.

He told Major he considered the fact that he admitted the offence in his police interview and that he accused his former girlfriend of being an accomplice to a double homicide while identifying “when and where” the alleged offence took place. He also told Major he did not make accusations from information he received that could have afforded him a defence from absolute or conditional privilege and said the court found that he did not publish the posts in “good faith.”

When given an opportunity to speak, Major said he only committed the offence because his ex-girlfriend would not leave him alone. He also alleged she tried to knock him down with his car on one occasion and claimed he did not try to report the matter, because the complainant and both of her parents were police officers and officials would always take their side.

“Every time I ask this young lady to leave me alone, she wouldn’t,” he said. “I’m not proud of what I’ve done, what I’ve said and what I post, but I just wanted her to stay from around me.”

After listening to his plea in mitigation, Magistrate McKinney fined Major $5,000 or nine months in prison. He also placed him on 18 months’ probation and banned him from posting any more defamatory material about his former girlfriend online or elsewhere. He said if Major failed to comply with the stipulated conditions, he could risk spending six months behind bars.