(CMR) Mario Rankin has been arrested this morning for a voice note he sent Saturday evening regarding the governor. The arrest was executed at his address in Newlands and he has been taken to the custody detention center for investigation and interview.
Eyewitnesses contacted CMR at the time of his arrest to inform us that the incident was taking place. The warrant for his arrest and several police cruisers were observed at this house around 11:40 am. At yesterday's press conference the Commissioner of Police indicated that the person identified in the recording was to be interviewed later in the week.
The voice note caused immense controversy in the community since its release Saturday evening; eliciting a public apology from the Premier on behalf of the people of the Cayman Islands.
Yesterday evening Rankin appeared on a local talk show admitting that he was the authority of the recording which he nows refers to a voice text and not a voice note. While no one understands the relevance of why he's seeking to alter the type of communication is, in fact, does meet the criteria to be voice note.
He further went on to double down on a new position – that the voice note is his opinion and he was genuinely concerned about the well being of the other passengers on the flight. He continued to blame the person who sent it from his CPR group as the “publisher” of the voice note and not himself. He claims that publication only occurs if he was a publication like Cayman Marl Road with a wider audience.
CMR addressed some of these points this morning in THE COLD HARD TRUTH.
Rankin appeared to have supporters during the program such as Shyvon Hydes; who claimed that despite not having listened to the voice note it does not meet the criteria for defamation as that requires malice. She was supportive of his ability to say what he wishes. Despite being a first-year law student Hydes missed the point that this law is not one of defamation. She also appears to not understand the law of defamation in the Cayman Islands because there is no requirement of malice at all.
Whilst his investigations continue into who in his CPR group he cannot trust he attacked CMR directly and claims that he has previously fed us false information. His admission was mean to prove the point that everything CMR publishes is “fake news.” The days of him peddling in fake news have taken a start departure has he becomes the first person on Grand Cayman to be arrested under the respective section of the penal law for false publication. He could be facing a $5,000 fine or 5 years in jail.
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