From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
There was mild drama at the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, on Monday, when relatives of 17-year-old revenge porn/blackmail defendant Charlotte Delhi complained about undue pressure on the suspect to plead guilty to a one-count charge of cyberstalking.
The Department for State Security (DSS) had on Monday arraigned Delhi before Justice Isa Hamma Adama Dashen on a one-count charge of cyberstalking contrary to Section 24(2)c and punishable under subparagraph 2 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc, Act (2015).
The relatives of the suspect including her mother had appeared in court when they got wind that she was to be arraigned contrary to prior information they had received that undue pressure had been mounted on her to plead guilty to the charge.
There were some verbal exchanges between Delhi’s relatives and some people outside the courtroom who they alleged to had pressured Delhi to plead to the charge. The family members vowed to resist all pressure and secure justice for their daughter.
The particular offence to which Delhi is charged reads:
‘That you, Charlotte Delhi on the 14th day of September 2021 in Yenagoa within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court for the purpose of extorting the sum of N15 million from Dr Walton Liverpool, intentionally posted a video showing the naked appearance of the said Dr Walton Liverpool on a WhatsApp group tagged “Off Liverpool” with an iPhone7 plus mobile phone and GSM. No 08084267342.’
According to the DSS, the defendant had allegedly recorded the video when she and Liverpool met at a hotel in Yenagoa and allegedly demanded the sum of N15 million.
Shortly after she pleaded not guilty, her counsel, Andrew Arthur, applied for her bail, having been in DSS custody for 13 days.
In arguing the bail application, Arthur told the court that the defendant had earlier been arraigned for criminal defamation and granted bail by a Bayelsa High Court but regretted that the DSS declined to release her on bail and chose to approach the Federal High Court.
The prosecution counsel, Mr Victor Uchendu, in opposing the bail application, said that he was just served the bail application in the courtroom and needs time to study it and respond to the issues raised therein.
Justice Dashen remanded the defendant at the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Yenagoa until Oct 21 to hear the bail application following the request of prosecution to study the application for possible grounds to oppose it.