The Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) wishes to update members of the media and the general public on certain sections of the Criminal Code, Chapter 171 of the Revised Edition of the Laws of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 2009 which deals specifically with offences relating to judicial proceedings.
Section 98, subsection (1) (h) states “Any person who publishes a report on the evidence taken in any judicial proceeding which being held in private or which has been ordered not to be published; in this paragraph “evidence” includes the name and address of any party to the proceeding, any witness and any person mentioned in those proceedings, is guilty of an offense and liable to imprisonment for two years.”
On Thursday 7th March 2024, a criminal matter involving a charge of rape and indecent assault was discharged in the Family Court. Following this, members of the media published a story on the result of the proceeding. The RSVGPF wishes to advise that such action contravenes the aforementioned section in the Criminal Code.
The RSVGPF further calls on members of the media to remove all and any such publication relating to this particular matter immediately and be guided by the stipulations outlined in the Criminal Code when publishing certain matters relating to judicial proceedings in the future.
The RSVGPF thank members of the media and the general public for their cooperation in this matter
