Pattricia Jack back in custody, it’s now beginning to sound like a song that has been put on repeat
If you have read this before in this newspaper, and you think we’ve made a mistake by repeating an earlier story that we carried, we can totally understand your feelings.
The only problem is that you are wrong.
It’s the same person but a different case altogether.
Yesterday, Pattricia Jack, a convict who in April was found guilty of disorderly conduct at a police station, has been remanded in custody again.
She appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court facing fresh allegations of cyberbullying and harassment.
The 35-year-old is accused of unlawfully posting messages and videos on social media allegedly targeting two women in separate incidents.
In her latest brush with the law, prosecutors allege that in one case, she posted content on Facebook and TikTok claiming that the complainant, Mai TT, was allegedly a prostitute and a thief.
She allegedly further claimed to be a former girlfriend of Mai TT’s husband before she later made offensive remarks about her daughters.
In a second case, Pattricia Jack is accused of sending WhatsApp messages, and posting social media content, claiming that another woman was involved in extramarital affairs.
She also claimed the woman was HIV positive and on antiretroviral treatment.
The State alleges that the posts were intended to intimidate, harass, bully and cause substantial emotional distress to the complainants.
Pattricia Jack is facing charges of cyberbullying and harassment as defined in the Cyber and Data Protection Act.
She was remanded in custody to tomorrow for bail proceedings.
Pattricia Jack is now becoming a common feature at the Harare Magistrates Court.
In April, she caused disturbances at Highlands Police Station where she insulted officers, threatened she would use her powerful connections to get them fired and accused them of taking bribes.
She escaped with a US$150 fine.
Pattricia Jack pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in that case when she appeared before Harare magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai.
The magistrate ruled that if she defaulted on paying the US$150 fine, she was going to serve 30 days’ imprisonment. In passing sentence, magistrate Kuhudzai condemned her behaviour but noted mitigating factors.
“Such kind of conduct cannot be tolerated in our jurisdiction. Court took into consideration that she was a first-time offender and a single mother.”
In mitigation, Pattricia Jack told the court that she is a divorcee and a mother of an 11-year-old and that she works as a social influencer.
She apologised and pledged not to repeat the crime.
The complainant was the State, which was represented by Emma Habeza of ZRP Highlands.
Prosecutor Takudzwa Mutyavaviri told the court that Jack arrived at ZRP Highlands Police Station following the arrest of a friend.
The court heard that she began shouting at police officers, using vulgar language and name dropping Government officials.
She accused officers at Highlands Police of taking bribes and vowed to have them fired.
Her conduct was said to have tarnished the image of the station and disrupted police activities. *_-H-Metro_*
