Well known community activist Mary John has been ordered to pay $6,000 in compensation to a woman whom she wronged by posting her picture on social media, accusing her of murder.
John was the subject of a short judge-only trial that began in early March before Justice Ann-Marie Smith.
At the end of the trial, the defendant, who was represented by Justin Simon QC, was found guilty of two charges for “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 stemmed from an incident on October 5 2021, when John posted an image of a woman to social media, 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, who was reportedly found in Finch’s home at the time of the incident.
The Electronic Crimes Act states that the offence carries a maximum sentence of a $500,000 fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both.
John was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine to the state.