Police on Friday issued a wanted bulletin for Rickford Burke, who is wanted by Police for questioning in relation to several alleged offences.
Wanted: Rickford Burke
In a statement on Friday evening, Police said that Burke is wanted in relation to the incitement of hostility or ill will on the grounds of race – S2 of the Racial Hostility Act, which has grounds for punishment for any person who wilfully incites or attempts to incite racial hostility against a particular race by means of words spoken in a public place or transmitted by telegraphy.
Police said that Burke is also wanted for questioning in relation to sedition under the Cyber Crime Act, pursuant to Section 18(1)(a) – if the offence incites racial divisions and (f) if the offence is made out against the Government.
According to the statement by Police, Burke is also wanted for questioning in relation to, “use of a computer system to coerce and intimidate under the Cyber Crime Act. [s.19 (3) makes it an offence to disseminate information via computer which is known to be false to damage the reputation of another person]; seditious libel [offence at common law. It is the overt speech or conduct to bring hatred and contempt against the Government]; seditious libel [s. 320 Criminal Law Offences Act 8:01.]; inciting the provocation of a breach of the peace [provoking a breach of the peace is s.141 Cap 8:02]. Inciting any offence is itself an offence and inciting public terror. Inciting public terror in public places is an offence under s.137 of Cap. 8:01; the incitement of persons to go to public places and behave a certain way could be incitement to cause public terror.”
Burke has been involved in several controversies over inciting statements being made online. Only earlier this week during an online programme with APNU/AFC Member of Parliament, Sherod Duncan, while speaking about the investigations being carried out by SOCU into the handling of several matters by Finance Minister Winston Jordon, Burke said, “there are consequences, I don’t care what it is…they must understand that they are not the only bad people and gangsters in the country…so until somebody get run off the road to compensate for the things they are doing, they are going to keep doing it…i want to tell them again, the war that they are inciting, they might not survive it.”
