A 19-year-old girl, Miss Charlotte Delhi has been arraigned by the Department of State Services before the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, for allegedly sharing a nude video of a former Permanent Secretary of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, Dr Walton Liverpool, on the social media with an intention of extorting N15 million from him.
In the one-count charge filed against the defendant by the DSS in suit number FHC/YNG/33C/2021, the girl was accused of engaging in cyberstalking with an intention of blackmail which is contrary to section 24(2)c and punishable under subparagraph (b) of the cybercrime (prohibition, prevention etc) Act, 2015.
It read;
“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 N15million 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.”
After the girl pleaded not guilty to the charge, counsels to DSS and the state government, Principal Legal Officer of the DSS, Victor Uchendu Esq, and a former Attorney-General of Bayelsa State and counsel to the defendant, A.S. Arthur Esq disagreed on the issue of application of bail but agreed that the trial should be made to enjoy accelerated hearing.
Uchendu who sought for the judge’s leave for an adjournment, argued that the defence counsel handed him the application for bail process few hours to trial. He also revealed that the key witness to the case was not in good health condition.
He said;
“I was served the bail application two hours before the court sitting and there was no time for me to study the weighty allegations."
Naked video of the former permanent secretary was allegedly circulated on social media by the accused, after he reportedly refused to succumb to blackmail.
Security sources said the sim which was used to post the nude video contained phone lines of alleged clients including some members of the State House of Assembly and top politicians in the state.
The accused's claim of being 17 years of age, was faulted by her birth certificate which indicated that she was born on the 10th of October, 2002, placing her age at 19.