ST GEORGE ‘S, Grenada (CMC) — A 25-year-old man became the first person to be charged for violating a section of the Electronic Crimes Act when he appeared in court earlier this week.

Yurber Phillip was charged with Violation of Privacy under the Electronic Crimes Act based on allegations that he published nude photos of a female person via a social media website.

Police confirmed that the female and Phillip had an intimate relationship.

The matter that was reported to the South St George’s Police Station was also investigated by officers of that station and the Director of Public Prosecution gave guidance in laying the charges.

Section 10 (1) of the Electronic Crimes Act which speaks to Violation of Privacy states that, “a person who, knowingly or without lawful excuse or justification, captures, publishes or transmits the image of a private area of a person without his or her consent, under circumstances violating the privacy of that person, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand dollars or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding three years or to both.”

The Bill was approved in both houses of Parliament in 2013, as one in five electronic legislation, aimed at providing guidance to the police and the judiciary to deal with criminal matters committed using electronic and technological devices.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Trevor Modeste said the Electronic Crimes Act is designed to protect the rights and privacy of individuals in this increasingly technological era.