Activist accuses cops of stealing laptop

Women's rights activist Nadine Spence is demanding the immediate return of her laptop which she said was 'stolen' from her home by Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime (CTOC) officers who entered her house to arrest fellow activist, Latoya Nugent, in March.

"When the CTOC police unlawfully entered my home in their bid to arrest Latoya to silence the Tambourine Army, they stole a Dell Computer from my bedroom," Spence said in a Facebook post on the weekend.

Monetary value

She then told our news team that she is deliberately using the word 'stolen' as the officers did not produce a warrant to enter and search her home.

Spence noted that the Dell laptop is of little monetary value, but it is very important as it contains a significant portion of her PhD research, which she is pursuing in gender and development studies at the University of the West Indies.

"They need fi return me computer. I'm serious. I'm going to go down there to protest with a placard," she warned, adding that she has reported the matter to CTOC. However, she said that despite many efforts, the laptop has not been returned to her although Nugent's case was dismissed three weeks ago.

TheTambourine Army co-founder, Nugent, was arrested at Spence's home, and charged on March 14 with malicious use of computers following several complaints that she allegedly published information on social media accusing several persons of being sexual predators.

The matter against Nugent was dismissed on May 17.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Clifford Chambers, who heads CTOC, told THE STAR that he will look into the matter today.

"I will make communication with the investigator tomorrow (today) to see what information [they have], or if they are in possession of the stated computer. But all of this is new to me. It is the first I'm hearing that," he said.