Nassau, BAHAMAS-Social media commentator Gorman Bannister is accused of threatening to harm Long Island MP Adrian Gibson in a voice note.
Prosecutors allege that Bannister posted the threatening message on his Facebook page Black Belt The Voice on February 8.
Bannister allegedly made the threat when he criticised Gibson for commenting on the finances of Water and Sewerage President Dwayne Woods.
Bannister said, “You are making him a target for people, who like taking people’s finances and possessions.
“When the day comes that anything happens to Dwayne Woods because you all keep playing these games, you’re going to find out, Adrian Gibson, … that no one is too expensive to die. I’m going leave that there like that.”
He denied the charge of threats of harm at an arraignment before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes on March 23.
Bannister is on $3,000 bail and he returns to court for his trial on September 2.
Previous charges for online posts dismissed
This is not the first time that Bannister has faced criminal charges over his voice notes.
Police charged Bannister with criminal libel and misuse of communications in July 2019.
Regarding the libel charges, Bannister had accused former Free National Movement Cabinet Minister Tennyson Wells and his wife, Stephanie, of theft.
In voice notes posted on Facebook and WhatsApp, Bannister alleged that Mr. Wells stole Caribbean Gas and its storage terminal from his late father, Everette Bannister.
Additionally, he claimed that Mrs. Wells had been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for stealing bearer bonds.
Bannister apologised. As a result, the case was dropped.
The charge of misuse of communications stemmed from multiple posts Bannister made about his online nemesis, private investigator Oswald Poitier.
Bannister made multiple posts on three Facebook pages, his personal page, Black Belt Leaks and Black Belt News to the annoyance of Poitier.
He posted video and photos of Poitier’s home, called him a homosexual and pedophile and suggested that Poitier commit suicide.
However, prosecutors dismissed the case after Bannister and Poitier reached a compromise.
The magistrate ordered them to remove offensive online content about each other.
Also, the court banned them from making future posts.
However, the dispute continues as both Bannister and Poitier have accused each of other of violating the court’s order.
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