Knight planning to get tougher on Tufton

By: Tanesha Mundle

Image caption: K.D. Knight

Attorneys represen-ting veteran politician KD Knight are considering filing an injunction to stop the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) from reportedly continuing to use a doctored audio recording that they say defames Knight and misrepresents his views on Opposition Leader Mark Golding.

“We are considering filing an injunction to stop them from playing the audio, ‘cause dem a drive all ‘round a Jamaica a play it. They are campaigning with it,” Knight’s attorney, Bert Samuels, told The Gleaner, adding that the team is also preparing to file a defamation claim by next Wednesday.

The attorney shared the new developments after confirming yesterday that Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton had not complied with the Friday morning deadline to issue a public apology and to formally retract the attribution of Knight’s voice to the “malicious” audio.

The audio, which Tufton played during a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) rally in Half-Way Tree last Sunday, was edited, according to Knight, to falsely suggest he believed Golding was unfit to be prime minister.

Knight’s legal team alleges the doctored recording breaches the Cybercrimes Act and the Representation of the People Act, and has written to Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake, sending both a formal complaint and what they say is the original, unedited voice note. In the two letters sent to the commissioner on Friday, Samuels has asked for an urgent investigation and that the issue be referred to the Communications Forensics and Cybercrimes Division.

A copy of the supposed original clip, recorded years ago during internal party discussions, was aired on ‘Beyond the Headlines’ earlier this week.

In it, Knight is heard advocating unity within the People’s National Party – a position he says was twisted in the edited version.

“I have never said that Mark Golding must not become the prime minister of Jamaica. I haven’t said it in a group. I haven’t said it in my house. I haven’t said it anywhere,” Knight insisted in a statement.

Samuels, a partner at the law firm of Knight, Junor and Samuels, had issued a letter on Wednesday demanding a formal public apology and retraction from Tufton by 10 a.m. Friday, warning that complying would not halt legal proceedings but could mitigate the damage.

The apology, if issued, was expected to be jointly crafted by attorneys for both parties and published in the news media as well as on JLP social media platforms.

However, Tufton has stood by the authenticity of the clip and has indicated that he would not be apologising. Speaking at a JLP press conference on Thursday, he confirmed he had heard of the legal threats and said his legal team is prepared to respond – and potentially countersue.

“If that’s the route that they want to go, then my lawyers will deal with it,” he told The Gleaner. “I am prepared to respond, plus a counterclaim.”

Tufton declined to discuss the matter further, stating that he prefers to focus on the political campaign rather than engage in what he called “charges and countercharges”.

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