PC Francesca Zahra May Be Charged With Computer Misuse Over Viral TikTok Case
Police are considering charging 27-year-old constable Francesca Zahra with computer misuse following a short video of her dancing in uniform being leaked and going viral.
The investigation stems from a claim that she may have used the police force’s computer system to access people’s details after she posted her TikTok video, an informed source told Lovin Malta. She is not being investigated over the TikTok video itself.
The constable has since been called in to give her statement in this regards.
The charge would not be part of any internal proceedings and would be considered a crime, potentially leading to Zahra being kicked out of the police force.
Investigations are still underway, police have confirmed with Lovin Malta, who said they were unable to divulge any more information at the moment.
Reacting to this, Zahra’s lawyer, Arthur Azzopardi, said no charges had been brought forward yet, and that “it seems that the police are forgetting the legal principle ‘praetor non curat deminis’.”
Since the video, which shows Zahra humorously dancing to a viral TikTok dance while in uniform, went viral, a petition with over 6,000 signatures has called for her not to be punished.
The hashtag #JienFrancesca was also being used in some quarters, with personalities like Peppi Azzopardi and journalist Brian Hansford coming to her defence publicly.
PC Francesca Zahra
Zahra’s life turned upside down when Floriana FC was handed the Premier League in an unprecedented decision last month.
As crowds gathered on the Granaries, the public reacted strongly to perceived inaction to disperse the crowds.
Soon enough, someone had combined her dancing video with videos of Floriana fans celebrating. Since becoming the face of police inaction, she’s been having suicidal thoughts and her family life has been seriously affected.
What do you think of Francesca potentially being charged with computer misuse?
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