MONTEGO BAY, St James — A St James man accused of weaponising sex tapes to manipulate and blackmail women has found himself at the centre of a disturbing courtroom saga.

Charged with malicious communication and possession of identity information, Timoyah Spence — the man at the heart of the storm — appeared in the St James Parish Court Wednesday before presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton.

According to allegations presented in court, Spence has a troubling pattern of behaviour dating as far back as November 2024. It is alleged that during his intimate relationships he would record sexual encounters with his partners. When the relationships ended, he would threaten to leak the footage online if the women refused to return and engage in further sexual activity with him.

In the matter currently before the court, Spence allegedly circulated a sexually explicit video of himself and a former partner via WhatsApp. The incident was reported to the police and Spence was arrested on June 26.

When police apprehended him, he reportedly refused to surrender a mobile phone in his possession. A production order was secured and, after initial resistance, Spence turned over the device. Upon examination, the phone was allegedly found to contain identity information of people overseas, linked to his Gmail account.

During court proceedings, the lead investigating officer painted a chilling portrait of the accused.

“From our investigations and observations, Mr Spence has this tendency to do things on the Internet using various numbers and different social media accounts,” the cop stated. “He also has his secret place where he records the complainants, and from these recordings he would send them videos and threaten to post them if they don’t come back to his apartment and perform the same activities.”

The policeman further expressed concern that Spence posed a risk of reoffending if released on bail. He stated that the only effective way to prevent the accused from continuing the alleged behaviour was to restrict his access to the Internet — a measure he argued could only be properly enforced if Spence remained in custody.

The clerk of court agreed, arguing that Spence was not fit for bail and, if the Crown chose to grant it, severe conditions should be imposed — including a strict ban on all social media activity.

Appearing on Spence’s behalf, attorney Chumu Paris revealed that his client had suffered a minor stroke while in custody and has a heart condition. He noted that Spence was currently hospitalised and cited poor cell conditions as a factor that had aggravated his medical issues. Arguing on humanitarian grounds, Paris urged the court to grant his client bail.

Despite the Crown’s concerns, judge Fairclough-Hylton ruled in Spence’s favour, granting bail — in absentia under humanitarian grounds — in the amount of $750,000 with up to three sureties. The matter is set for mention on July 30.

But that is not the full extent of Spence’s legal troubles.

The court revealed on Wednesday that he faces additional charges filed by three other complainants. Further charges are anticipated in the coming weeks.