i nlinal libel
is a coincidence that Mr James Gold
should be given leave to bring proE"4,, ings for criminal libel against Private bce at the same time as a similar charge was in°kught against a newspaper publisher here tilhe Bahamas. SPectaror's 'Notebook' notes that ti o-re have been only two similar prosecuYears ns at the Old Bailey in the last fifteen The prosecution in the Bahamas sec,,-,t in March this year) was only the ' known case to have been brought in e-raaharnas. be `ille other case is of some interest. At the tiogt'Llning of this century—the exact date is .‘"1, N'n as the court records for the perrtti2"ave been lost—a Mr Cobham, an im Daper -rant from Barbados, ran a small news re re
which can only be described as vitrio
Was.-v:erY Person of stature in these islands target, but a favourite target was a f,night. Over a period of several years, attag)bharn in his 'yellow rag' continually N00 Dr Or Knight's professional conduct. took much notice of Mr Cobham,
but eventually Dr Knight sought leave to bring a prosecution for criminal libel. This was granted, and Cobham was convicted and imprisoned. It is interesting to note that the prosecution was within the guidelines recommended by last year's Faulks Committee on defamation. The libel against Dr Knight was 'gross and persistent' and Cobham was 'impecunious'. After he died in prison of starvation —he refused all food for fear of poisoning —his shack on Damnation Alley was found to be empty of all furniture, except a stone, which neighbours said he used as a pillow. The case brought against the publisher of The Grand Bahama Times in March of this year, however, was of an altogether different nature. The possibly reckless article alleging that a senior member of the police force was involved in a drug ring could easily have been dealt with by a usual civil suit. The case, which was dismissed for lack of evidence, has aroused concern that it is part of a continuing campaign against the free press, and beckons the police state. The judiciary in the Bahamas, acts totally outside of political influence, but unfortunately here no order from a High Court judge is necessary to bring a charge of criminal libel. That decision is made by the police and the government's legal department. Vincent James 'Bahamas Dateline', Box 7772, Stockton, 95207, USA
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