Miss Charlotte Delhi, a 19-year-old girl, has been arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) 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 after failing to extort N15 million from him.
The nude video of the former Permanent Secretary was allegedly circulated on social media by the accused, after he reportedly refused to succumb to blackmail and pay the money she demanded.
Miss Charlotte met the former Permanent Secretary on Facebook and they agreed to meet. They hooked up at a hotel, had fun. He paid her and left without knowing that she recorded him.
She called him up and threatened to release the nude video if he doesn’t pay sum of N15 million which he declined. He offered to pay N1 million instead, but she refused and later released the nude video.
He reported the matter to the Department of State Services (DSS). The lady was arrested by DSS who charged her to court.
On the day of her arraignment, the accused claimed she is 17, but that was faulted by her birth certificate which indicated that she was born on the 10th of October, 2002, which means she is 19.
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.”
When the charges were read, she pleaded not guilty to the charge.
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 defense 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.”
