Police warn Facebook users over cybercrime

By AILEEN KWARAGU
POLICE have warned users of social mediums, especially Facebook, that they should know what to post and what not to as there will be consequences for which the Cybercrime Act 2016 was created to deal with.
Police Prosecutor Sgt Sandra Holland made the remark in her submissions to the court regarding the case of North Fly MP James Donald, charged with perverting the course of justice and publishing defamatory materials against a lawyer and the management team of OK Tedi River Development.
Holland submitted that Donald’s actions were done intentionally and without lawful excuse, posted defamatory publication materials and later to the two dailies and paid for the article to be published with his signature on it.
She said Donald admitted that he made those publications and the message was targeted at people who were from the mine, the impacted community and his workers because the issue was what they needed to know.
Meanwhile, Donald’s lawyer Allan Mana, of Corrs Chambers Westgath Lawyers, said there was no law or mandatory requirement that would compel Donald to execute the publications he did. He submitted that the complainant’s name in the police information was misspelt and may imply that the person did not exist, meaning he was not the complainant.
Mana said the second charge by police of perverting the course of justice was made up because there was no complainant with no evidence.
“The charge on perverting the course of justice was wholly being made up by police as I understand there needs to be a complainant before they can charge Donald,” he said.
The matter returns to court on Dec 10.
Mana said police did not include relevant instruments on the matter to demonstrate the State’s framework on how funds should be spent by everyone within the Ok Tedi River development area.
Donald, of Gasuke village, North Fly, Western, allegedly posted defamatory statements against complainants Greg Sheppard, Samson Jubi, Ps Steven Bagari and the OK Tedi River Development Foundation on Facebook on July 26.
The matter returns to court for ruling on Dec 10.