A paralegal accused of sending “grossly offensive” social-media posts to a police officer has had his name cleared.

A day after a judge ordered a Supreme Court jury to acquit Eron Hill of eight of nine charges, they unanimously found him not guilty of the final offence yesterday.

Mr Hill had been accused of sending, by means of a public electronic communication service, a “grossly offensive” photograph to Detective Constable Michael Redfern on October 29, 2023.

The jury heard during trial that the photograph, depicting Mr Redfern and retired Detective Inspector Dean Martin, was published on Instagram with the caption “Corrupt @ Bermuda Police”.

On Thursday, Acting Puisne Judge Paul Doherty directed the jury to return not guilty verdicts on eight of nine charges against Mr Hill, who represented himself in the case.

The judge said: “I concluded that there is no evidence on which you could find beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Hill was guilty of these eight offences.”

Mr Hill initially faced three counts of attempting to pervert the course of public justice through social-media posts made between October 29 and November 30, 2023.

He was additionally charged with six offences under the Electronic Communications Act, including that he made “grossly offensive” posts about police officers and caused one man’s phone to ring repeatedly to harass him.

Following the verdict, Mr Hill said he was “humbled and deeply grateful to the jury for their care, their courage and their commitment to justice”.

Mr Hill thanked the court for ensuring a fair process. “From the beginning, I maintained that these charges were an abuse of police power and should never have been brought,” he said.

When asked for a comment, the Bermuda Police Service acknowledged the court’s decision. A spokesman said the BPS respected the ruling.

Mr Hill said the past three years had been “difficult” and a “gruelling journey” at times, mixed with a period of profound learning and growth.

He added: “I believe everything happens for a reason and I will carry these lessons forward, using this experience as a foundation for purpose and progress.”

Mr Hill thanked those who supported him through the judicial process as well as supporters of the Bermuda Equal Justice Initiative.

He added: “This has only strengthened my resolve and now that this court process is over, I can proceed to completing my pupillage so that I can be Called to the Bermuda Bar and advocate in court for those who need and deserve it most.

“The jury’s unanimous verdict does more than vindicate me; it affirms the constitutional rights that protect every Bermudian.

“The marathon pursuit of fair and equal access to justice for all continues.”

During the trial, the jury heard that the case stemmed from the October 25, 2023 arrest of a man accused of murder who had breached his bail conditions.

Carrington Mahoney, for the Crown, said the murder accused, who was fitted with an electronic monitoring device, had changed his address without the approval of the court.

Mr Mahoney said Mr Martin had access to a police database showing that the man had breached bail conditions and arrested him.

The court heard that on October 29, 2023, Mr Hill — who was affiliated with the accused through legal service — sent a message to Mr Redfern’s police-issued phone.

Mr Mahoney told the court that the arrest of the accused had caused Mr Hill to become upset.

He alleged that subsequently, on October 29, 2023, Mr Hill attempted to contact Mr Redfern from two phone numbers while the officer was overseas.

In his evidence, Mr Redfern said that on returning to the island he traced one of the numbers and linked it to Mr Hill through e-mails he and the defendant had exchanged in February that year.

Mr Martin told the court he was “shocked to see what I saw” after finding a post on Instagram on October 29, 2023, accusing him and Mr Redfern of being corrupt.

Under cross-examination, Mr Hill accused Mr Martin of “being a liar” over the technical data from screenshots of the Instagram post — copies of which were presented to the jury.

Lauren Bell, an intelligence analyst with the Bermuda Police Service, also gave evidence, accusing Mr Hill of being behind a November 1, 2023 Instagram post calling her “corrupt”.

Mr Hill alleged that Mr Redfern and Mr Martin had a “personal vendetta” against him during his cross-examination of Detective Constable Jason Savory, a police witness who detailed the arrest of Mr Hill in November 2023 at LF Wade International Airport.

Mr Hill asked the witness why he had been “paraded” at the airport after being detained at the arrivals area.

The jury also heard from Detective Constable Lennox Ince, the senior investigator in the case, who said Mr Hill had benefited from a “balanced and fair” investigation.

Mr Justice Doherty thanked the jury for their service before releasing Mr Hill.

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