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‘Baby Skello’ released on $45,000 High Court bail
Local artiste, Daniel Wharton
Kaieteur News – Local artiste, Daniel Wharton, called ‘Baby Skello’, who was remanded to prison for blasphemous libel last Friday, was released on $45,000 High Court bail.
Wharton made his first court appearance at the Diamond Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Judy Latchman, who remanded him to prison until July 1, 2025.
The charge stemmed from a ‘distasteful and vulgar’ song Wharton released on his TikTok page back in May, about the Hindu goddess, Mother Lakshmi.
During Tuesday’s court hearing, Wharton appeared before Judge Simone Morris at the Georgetown High Court, where he was granted bail.
The local artiste was represented by attorneys Dexter Todd and Everton Singh-Lammy, who requested bail on his behalf. During an interview with Kaieteur News, Todd said that bail was requested on the grounds that the offence is one that offers bail, is a minor offence and that the magistrate had no evidence before her to suggest that Wharton was a flight risk or that he would not appear for his trial.
The attorney added that Wharton appeared in court on his own free will without being arrested by police. He noted that the prosecution had no objections to bail, resulting in them supporting the application.
Wharton’s remand had evoked widespread condemnation from civil society, including government and opposition officials.
Education Minister and attorney, Priya Manickchand, attorney Sase Gunraj, who sits as a commissioner of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), attorneys Dexter Todd and Ronald Daniels, all publicly condemned the court’s decision to remand Wharton.
Minister Manickchand took to her personal Facebook page last Friday to express her disapproval, describing the court’s decision as inconsistent and misplaced, particularly in contrast to how other, more serious matters are handled.
“The bench needs to be consistent and sensible in its application of the law. We are jailing someone for mumbling or trying to sing something offensive against a female goddess (which was terrible and should never be encouraged or listened to and which I personally condemned) but [the court is] failing to address speedily DV [domestic violence] matters where women are at the mercy of the court, failing to address matters of cyberbullying where women’s nude photographs are published online without their consent, and other truly egregious crimes against women. I truly hope he has a lawyer who will have this odd decision reversed at the High Court,” the minister said.
Attorney Gunraj said that “the remand of Baby Skello is unnecessary and excessive. His attempt at music was undoubtedly blasphemous and disrespectful, but refusal of bail ought not be used as a penalty.” Meanwhile, Todd criticised the ruling, questioning its rationale: “Why would a person be remanded for such a charge? What is really going on in this country?” he asked.
Similarly, attorney Daniels argued that the decision to remand Wharton speaks more to the arbitrary use of institutional power than to a sincere effort at justice.
“We cannot rectify, repair or mitigate this by selectively punishing one sinner while we cast a blind eye and deaf ears to all the other angels and advocates of the devil,” he said.
On Monday, the A Partnership for National Unity had called for the immediate release of “Baby Skello, criticising what it called a severe court decision. “The decision to remand him to prison is, in any case, disproportionate and threatens our basic freedoms. Guyanese must continue to raise their voices in condemnation. Release Baby Skello now!” the party declared.
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