Reverend Julian Johnson Arrested On Libel Charges

Rev. Julian Johnson was arrested today on allegations of making libelous claims against the Commissioner of Police, Paul Rolle.

Rev. Johnson was taken into police custody and charged with intentional libel after a viral video circulated on social media in which he alleged that the Commissioner had sexually assaulted several junior, female police officers. The Commissioner confirmed that he had lodged a complaint against Johnson with law enforcement. Reverend Johnson has denied the charge during arraignment.

Johnson, 50, will spend a night in jail as Crown prosecutors reportedly need more time to consider bail. He has been remanded to The Bahamas Department of Corrections HMP. The matter of bail will be decided tomorrow by Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes, as Chief Magistrate, Joyann Ferguson Pratt, will be away from the bench.

Rev. Johnson was represented by attorney Jomo Campbell. The viral video in question was posted to Facebook this past March.

Libelous acts occur when a statement is made in writing (digital statements count as writing), which, in theory, have a longer shelf life and reach than slanderous statements. Typically, slanderous statements are those that are only made orally, and are considered temporary in nature.

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