In a landmark ruling underscoring the serious consequences of digital misconduct, a 34-year-old ambulance driver from Tabatinga, central Rupununi has been convicted under Guyana’s Cybercrime Act. Lorian Toney faced the Lethem Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, where she pleaded guilty to using computer systems to intentionally humiliate, harass, and inflict substantial emotional distress upon victim Maxine Hendricks.
The Guyana Police Force confirmed that Magistrate Omadatt Chandan delivered a stringent sentence combining both financial and custodial penalties. Toney was ordered to pay a substantial fine of GY$1 million (Guyanese dollars) alongside a one-year prison term. This case represents one of the most significant enforcements of the country’s cybercrime legislation to date.
According to official police statements, the investigation began following a formal complaint about targeted online harassment. Law enforcement authorities arrested Toney on September 25, 2025, after establishing evidence that she systematically used digital platforms to conduct a campaign of emotional abuse against Hendricks.
The ruling demonstrates Guyana’s increasingly robust approach to combating digital harassment and protecting citizens from online victimization. Legal experts suggest this judgment could establish important precedents for future cybercrime prosecutions in the Caribbean nation, particularly regarding the appropriate sentencing thresholds for digital harassment offenses that cause demonstrable emotional harm to victims.