Grenada police say a 43-year-old woman has been detained for failing to pay an EC$25,000 (one EC dollar equals US$0.37 cents) fine for violating the 2013 Electronic Crimes Act.
Mazenga John of the western parish of St Mark was committed to prison for 11 months and seven days for failing to pay the fine after being convicted of the offense of Violation of Privacy.
She was found guilty at the Gouyave Magistrate Court of using a social media platform to transmit a sexually explicit film after a female submitted a complaint. She was found guilty, and the magistrate ordered that she pay a $25,000 fine or spend one year in prison by February 2023.
John worked as a retail clerk at the time of his conviction in February 2020.
Violation of privacy entails a maximum punishment of EC$200,000 in fine or three years in prison, or both fine and imprisonment.
“Up to the time of her imprisonment, she had only paid EC$600,” according to a police statement.
The Electronic Crimes Act defines Violation of Privacy as capturing, publishing, or transmitting a photograph of a private region of a person without his or her consent, under conditions that violate that person’s privacy.
The legislation defines “transmit” as electronically transferring a visual picture with the aim that it be viewed by a person or persons, whereas “capture” refers to videotaping, photographing, filming, or recording an image by any means.
The law goes on to say that “private area” refers to the nude or undergarment-clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast, and “publishes” refers to making a replica in written or electronic form available to the public.
