By Latrishka Thomas
Well known community activist, Mary John, could spend up to seven years in prison after being found guilty of disseminating false information electronically.
John was the subject of a short Judge-only trial that began earlier this month before Justice Ann Marie Smith.
At the end of the trial, the defendant, who is represented by lawyer Justin Simon QC, was found guilty of two charges: “intentionally, without lawful excuse or justification” sending false information “by means of an electronic system” for the purpose of causing insult and for the purpose of causing hatred.
The charges stem from an incident on October 5, 2021, when John posted on social media an image of a woman, falsely claiming she was the suspected killer of Piccadilly resident Jane Finch.
Finch had been stabbed to death during a break-in at her home the day before.
The woman in the photo shared by John bears a similar name to the actual murder suspect, Brittany Jno-Baptiste, who was reportedly found in Finch’s home at the time of the incident.
Under the Electronic Crimes Act, John could be fined up to $500,000, sentenced to a prison term of up to seven years, or both.
Her sentencing is scheduled for April 30.
