Cybercrime trial for interdicted cop to begin next month

Interdicted Police Sergeant Dion Bascom, who has allegedly committed cybercrime offences against two senior Police officers, is due to go on trial on August 21 before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Bascom was initially arraigned in September 2022, and the charges are in connection with Facebook live videos in which he accused several senior Police officers of a massive cover-up in the probe into the murder of gold dealer Ricardo Fagundes, who was executed in a hail of bullets outside the Palm Court nightclub in March 2021.
It is alleged that twice, between August 13, 2022 and August 19, 2022, he used a computer system to transmit electronic data with intent to humiliate, harass, or cause distress to Superintendent Mitchell Caesar; and on one occasion, he allegedly did the same to Superintendent Chabinauth Singh.
He has been placed on a total of $300,000 bail under these conditionalities: he lodges his passport with the Clerk of Court and reports to the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters, Georgetown, every other Friday pending the outcome of his trial.
Bascom was interdicted from duty and placed on half pay with effect from September 14, 2022, pending the outcome of the criminal charges. As a result, all powers conferred on him by virtue of his office of Sergeant were taken away completely. He is forbidden to wear his Police uniform, exercise his office of Sergeant, and is not permitted to enter any Police station or compound except to make a report.
Failure to attend court and/or to be available when summoned by the Guyana Police Force may result in him being absent from duty, and may have consequences flowing therefrom.
Bascom was among several persons arrested by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on August 8, 2022, after a quantity of cocaine was discovered at a Norton Street, Georgetown house.
While a charge for trafficking in narcotics was laid against some of the persons, none was laid against Bascom.
Seemingly angered by his arrest, Bascom made several Facebook live videos in which he made damning allegations of corruption against several senior Police detectives and prominent businessman Azruddin Mohamed. Bascom has alleged that Police ranks have accepted bribes and are “covering up” the murder of Fagundes, called “Paper Shorts”. Police are yet to charge the perpetrators of that crime.
Bascom later deleted the posts out of fear for his family members’ lives.
Acting Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken and Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum have debunked Bascom’s allegations, calling them “malicious and untrue”, and Government had solicited the assistance of the Regional Security System (RSS) to investigate the claims made by Bascom.
The RSS, in pronouncing on the matter, made it clear that there was no evidence to substantiate Bascom’s claims. The RSS team also found that the two live recordings made by Bascom were in contravention of Section 19 (5) (a) of the Cyber Crime Act.
Businessman Mohamed, who from the outset had distanced himself from the allegations, has since filed a $200 million defamation lawsuit against Bascom, arguing in his Statement of Claim that the words and statements uttered by Bascom are all untrue, false, dangerous, disingenuous, malicious, irrational, unfair, unsubstantiated, unfounded, and baseless, thereby tarnishing and lowering his reputation.
Another claimant, 44-year-old Mark Richmond, who is attached to Mohamed’s Enterprise as a security detail, has since claimed $50 million in damages for defamation against Bascom.
In his lawsuit, Richmond alleges that on August 11, 12, 13, and 14, 2022, Bascom broadcast on Facebook several statements about him that were false, untrue, disingenuous, dangerous, malicious, irrational, unfair, unsubstantiated, and baseless.
This, he argued, has resulted in his reputation being tarnished and lowered, and has caused him great embarrassment, psychological trauma, emotional distress and public humiliation.
Superintendent Caesar, through his lawyer, had threatened to take legal action against Bascom if he did not remove the posts and offered him an apology and $50 million compensation. (G1)