CMR creator in court over online bullying allegation

(CNS): The founder of Cayman Marl Road, the online news and gossip blog, appeared in court Tuesday, facing charges of harassment on a communication network. Sandra Hill is accused of bullying local businessman and one-time political hopeful, Matthew Leslie, on her website and social media pages. The case was transferred to Grand Court, where Hill, who denies the allegations, faces one count of using an ICT network to abuse, annoy or harass, and one count of causing harassment, alarm or distress.

According to the CMR site, a gag order has been placed on Hill as a condition of her bail, meaning that she cannot report on the accusations against her. At the core of the case is the ongoing feud the pair have had for several years on social media.

Hill has continuously accused Leslie of predatory and inappropriate sexual behavior, and recently dedicated an entire online live stream about the accusations. Leslie has previously filed suit against Hill, alleging defamation about his business dealings that Hill posted online. A default judgment was handed down in that action which Leslie has stated Hill has breached.

The local businessman was also embroiled in a very public sex scandal in 2017 while running for office as an independent candidate for Prospect. When Leslie was in hospital recovering from bariatric surgery, his wife posted messages on social media written by him that pointed to his infidelity and possible solicitation of sex for money, despite having only being married a few months.

Leslie refused to step out of the race but lost, ultimately collecting the third lowest number of votes of all candidates in the first ever general election under the system of ‘one man, one vote’.