A podcaster vowed to expose the truth about the grisly murder of a pregnant woman... now shes been ordered to pay $400,000 to the killers wife
A podcaster has been ordered to pay the wife of a convicted killer nearly $400,000 after falsely accusing her of engaging in witchcraft and helping her husband kill his mistress.
A podcaster has been ordered to pay the wife of a convicted killer nearly $400,000 after falsely accusing her of engaging in witchcraft and helping her husband kill his mistress.
Charlene Jabbie, 38, won her defamation lawsuit against Melbourne-based podcaster Susanna Gbangaye, 37, in the Supreme Court in Perth last month.
The civil case began after Ms Gbangaye used her platform to falsely claim Ms Jabbie played a major role in the murder of Janet Dweh, 36, inside her Perth home in October 2021.
Ms Dweh was brutally murdered by her lover, and Ms Jabbies now ex-husband, Hassan Jabbie, 53, after she refused to abort their child.
Hassan Jabbie was sentenced to life behind bars for the crime in February.
The court heard Ms Gbangaye addressed her 32,000 followers, largely from the Liberian-Australian community she shared with Ms Jabbie, in a two-hour livestream to discuss Ms Dwehs death just weeks after shed passed.
Ms Gbangaye falsely alleged Ms Jabbie was an evil and violent person whod assisted her husband in his lovers murder.
A video of the livestream was then uploaded to Ms Gbangayes Facebook page, where it remained for just shy of a year.
Janet Dweh (pictured) was brutally murdered by Hassan Jabbie in 2021 after she refused to abort their love child
Melbourne podcaster Susanna Gbangaye falsely told her followers Hassan Jabbies wife, Charlene Jabbie, was involved in the murder (pictured, officers at the crime scene)
A transcript of the livestream was included in court documents, seen by the Herald Sun.
One way or the other if Hassan is to be in jail I want to believe that the law in this country that they can push to every extent to find out about the wife too … shes not innocent … Charlene is not innocent, Ms Gbangaye said.
Charlene if you come across this video I am here to clearly tell you that you Charlene will not go free.
I dont care how long it is or how long it takes in this system, you Charlene will never go free.
Ms Gbangaye and Ms Jabbie knew each other before Ms Dwehs murder.
Both emigrated to Australia from a refugee camp in Guinea and settled in the same Perth neighbourhood.
Ms Gbangaye later moved to Melbourne and worked to build a large following for her podcast, The Gees, where she speaks on social and political issues.
During her takedown of Ms Jabbies character, Ms Gbangaye falsely claimed she was an evil and violent person who cut off a womans ear to perform witchcraft during their time in Guinea.
Ms Gbangaye (pictured) falsely claimed Ms Jabbie physically attacked, verbally abused and threatened Ms Dweh prior to her death
The livestream was viewed upwards of 3,700 times on Ms Gbangayes page and was shared by several other accounts with tens of thousands of followers.
Ms Jabbie told the Perth court she first learnt of the video from her sister, who warned a woman in Melbourne was saying things about her.
However, she initially dismissed the video and told her mother and sister Ms Gbangaye say what she wants to say while she dealt with her partners crime.
I did not view it at the time because I was completely shattered, to be honest, and when I - I only heard a few details of it but I didnt know the extent, Ms Jabbie said.
Then my mother was the one that played a section, the first 24 minutes of it, and I started crying.
Ms Jabbie soon started feeling the real-life implications of Ms Gbangaye false accusations.
She was targeted online and on the streets with one woman even confronting Ms Jabbie at her local shopping centre.
There was a lady who came up to me and said, "Youre a killer. You are a killer. You deserve to go to jail. No wonder why Susanna say you are a killer", she said.
Hassan Jabbie (pictured) was sentenced to life behind bars for Ms Dwehs murder in February
Her children were also subjected to the abuse.
There was picture on Snapchat of me, the video she has shown, that pictures of my children calling, "Your dad is this. Your mum is a killer", Ms Jabbie said.
Ms Jabbie was eventually hospitalised with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after struggling to cope with the harassment on top of her husbands murder charge.
She also lost her job with superannuation firm AustralianSuper in the process after being forced to take considerable time off work.
Ms Gbangaye admitted to making five of the 12 defamatory statements outlined in Ms Jabbies case.
Those included allegations Ms Jabbie had physically attacked, verbally abused and threatened Ms Dweh prior to her death.
Justice Paul Allan Tottle found the beginning of Ms Gbangayes livestream was plainly defamatory and she did not care for the consequences of her accusations.
The defendants comments about the plaintiff during the podcast constituted an attack calculated to destroy the plaintiffs reputation in the Liberian community in Australia and cause the community to reject her, Justice Tottle said.
The court found Ms Gbangayes video accusing Ms Jabbie of being involved in Ms Dwehs (pictured) death was plainly defamatory
The community was mourning the loss of Ms Dweh and the imputations the plaintiff was complicit in the murder of Ms Dweh and coerced her husband to commit the murder could not have been more serious.
The Supreme Court in Perth ordered Ms Gbangaye to pay Ms Jabbie $325,000 in general damages and $70,400 for economic loss.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Gbangaye for comment.