Student in AS bomb threat issue walks free
Freedom: Sheneza Diane Jaffarally.
Kaieteur News – Yesterday, almost two years after she was accused of a bomb threat at the University of Guyana (AS), Sheneza Diane Jaffarally, 26, was released from Cummings Lodge, Demerara East Coast.
Jaffarally was on trial at Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court before Liverpool Magistrate Rochelle.
On December 1, 2020 attorney-at-law Latchmie Rahamat, who represented Jafarally, made a no-case submission on behalf of her client.
Yesterday the Liverpool Magistrate upheld the no-case submission where Rahamat noted that the prosecution failed to provide evidence to support the details of the allegation and did not lead to any evidence to show that her client had sent any message using the telecommunications system.
The lawyer also noted in her submission that the prosecution did not lead any evidence to reveal the contents of the message for the court to consider whether it was causing public concern and that no evidence, as prescribed in the Telecommunications Act, was presented to the court to show that a public telecommunications system was used to send the message.
As such, the Magistrate upheld the solicitor’s submission and dismissed the matter.
Jaffarally, on February 5, 2019 at Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara, was alleged to have sent through a public telecommunications system, for the purpose of causing unnecessary concern to AS staff and students, a message she knew to be false.
She had denied the charge and was held in prison by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan based on public safety. However, Jaffarally approached the High Court for bail and was released on $ 10,000 bail.
Jaffarally, on the day in question, was reported to have made several calls to the tertiary education institution, made several bomb threats, which later caused classes to be canceled at AS, and led to the institution increasing security.
During a brief interview yesterday Jaffarally stated, “It has caused me great psychological trauma. I haven’t been able to attend school yet. ”
She added that it’s not because she can’t attend school but “Because I’m so scared of the situation I got into … I’ve been going to therapy for the last year and I don’t think it someone else having to go through something like this because of negligence or because people are not investigating properly. ”