KINGSTON, Jamaica – A 26-year-old woman was remanded in custody by a senior parish judge on Tuesday after allegedly sending death threats via messaging platform WhatsApp to a resident of the apartment complex where she was stationed as a security guard.

The allegations are that Samantha Edwards Smith sent a series of WhatsApp messages that read, “You are going to die soon…your time has come,” and, “We are going to teach you a lesson.”

Edwards Smith was charged with malicious communication, to which she pleaded guilty at the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

Attempting to explain her actions, Edwards Smith told Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague that she was not in a “good state of mind” at the time of the incident because she was the only security guard working that day and she needed to use the restroom.

She said, after she used the restroom, she was berated by the complainant who accused her of allowing an unauthorised person onto the compound.

Edwards Smith said she denied the allegation and attempted to explain why she was not at her station, but the complainant started to insult her by calling her stupid repeatedly. This, she said, angered her and caused her to send those messages.

“This is surely a breach of the terms of your contract,” the judge said after listening to her explanation.

Cole-Montague also asked if the altercation had warranted such a response, to which Edwards Smith said, “I know that I was wrong…that’s why I tried to apologise to her, but she wasn’t hearing that.”

She was told by the judge that she will be remanded in custody to await sentencing, as the offence is a serious one.

“Malicious communication is too much in this country… I don’t know, there is a certain power that comes in the people when they have a device in their hands,” Cole-Montague said.

“She [the complainant] is a resident, you are employed as security, so even for you to be sending those kinds of messages to her is grossly out of order. You will be remanded for a little, while I consider what is the most appropriate sentence. Part of the message that I intend to send with sentencing is the deterrent,” the judge added.

The judge further explained that the offence was committed under the Cyber Crimes Act, which comes with a fine of up to $3 million.

Edwards Smith is to return to court on November 8 for sentencing.