Catron to fight DPP over harassment case

(CNS): A local activist has pleaded not guilty to using an ICT network to harass or annoy, in a controversial case in which she will be defending herself before a jury. Sandra Catron recently won a major victory in an ongoing battle to have the charges dropped when Justice Alex Henderson threw the warrant out used to search Catron’s home and office at the time of her arrest. The JP who signed the warrant admitted to not having a clue what he was signing or why, which has led to a change in RCIPS policy regarding warrants. However, although the arrest was declared unlawful and the fact that Catron is now pursuing a damages claim in connection with it, the crown is still pursuing criminal charges against her.

Catron has denied the allegations, in which she is accused of sending harassing texts, and has indicated that she intends to fight on. So far, despite not being a fully qualified lawyer, she has been able to hold her own against the public prosecutors in several cases in the courts, from a fight over a lost dog to allegations regarding damage to property in connection with a dispute between her and a former landlord. On each occasion Catron has won the legal battles and she is hoping to do so again with the latest charges.

The crown served Catron, who is from Newlands, in Bodden Town, with her legal documents Friday, which included a list of 21 names to be called as witnesses. Crown counsel Elizabeth Lees suggested that it would take approximately two weeks to complete the trial, should all of these witnesses need to be called. However, the judge has ordered the crown to reconsider the time period and the number of people to be called and adjourned the case to give the parties time to reconsider.

In a further twist, Catron recently established a Facebook page to name and shame local sex offenders following her ongoing campaign to try and get the authorities to create a formal register. As a result, she has found herself the subject of yet another police investigation as they say that the page oversteps the boundary of the law, which prohibits the publication of any details regarding sex offender cases that may identify the victim.

This element of the law has caused significant controversy because of the size of the jurisdiction. In many cases of sexual abuse, especially with young children, the perpetrator is often a relative or in a relationship with a relative, which means naming the offender can easily lead to the identification of the victim.

As a result of efforts to protect vulnerable victims, many people who have committed sexual offences against children have remained protected from the normal naming and shaming that other convicted criminals in the islands have endured. Catron has fought in vain for years to address the issue as she believes many young victims are vulnerable to sexual predators because their identity is inadvertently protected.