PHILIPSBURG--Blogger Judith Roumou was arrested on Monday for a second time in two months after she violated the conditions of her release from pre-trial detention in July.

 

She is being represented by attorney Cor Merx, who told The Daily Herald last night that his client had expressed displeasure that he was representing her. Merx said, however, that he will represent Roumou to the best of his ability as everyone deserves representation.

 

Press Prosecutor Karola van Nie said in a press release that Roumou was arrested around 8:35am on Monday under orders from the Public Prosecutors Office. The 40-year-old was arrested for violating the conditions of her suspended pre-trial detention. The conditions were set by the Judge of Instruction on July 6. One of the conditions is that she should not commit new crimes. Roumou is suspected of “offending an attorney and a police officer in public.” She will be led before the Judge of Instruction today, Tuesday, van Nie said.

 

Merx, who is Chairperson/Secretary of the Sub Division of Criminal Lawyers, said two other attorneys indicated that they could not represent Roumou , because of a conflict of interest. Merx said he therefore decided to represent Roumou  after he received a call to do so. “She was not very happy with it, but that maybe is her character,” Merx said.

 

The attorney said everyone who needs legal assistance has a right to representation. He declined to go into details about the charges against his client as she is expected to appear before the Judge of Instruction today. He said if his client indicates at this time that she does not want him to represent her, then he will help her to find another lawyer.

 

Judith Roumou was first arrested on June 30 for a number of offenses including slander, defamation, insult, threat, harassment (stalking) and extortion. She was arrested after several persons pressed charges against her for the offenses from January to June 2014. The offenses were committed via social media and in person, the Prosecutor’s Office had said at the time. Roumou’s initial arrest was followed by a house search at her home in St. Peters. Data carriers such as phones, laptops and computers were confiscated for further investigation.

 

The Daily Herald