Vybz Kartel’s Case To Privy Council?

June 30, 2020 | By Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie |

The long awaited appeal to our final Appellate Court in UK is being contemplated as defence lawyers argue their case why Vybz Kartel et al’s appeal should be sent to the UK’s Privy Council which is Jamaica’s final Court of appeal.

Inadmissible Evidence

Kartel’s defence team has reasons to believe that certain pieces of evidence considered admissible at the original trial that led to the conviction of Kartel et al should have been denied by the Trial Judge. The defence team is hoping that the law Lords at our Final Appeal Court will frown on such pieces of admitted evidence.

Album Release

Despite being in prison this has not stopped the internationally acclaimed superstar from recording new songs. Vision Newspaper is reporting that Kartel has a new album released. We wish this venture all the best.

Evidence

Ground was broken when certain pieces of evidence of an electronic nature were admitted. The cellphone evidence for example was groundbreaking.

Cellphone Evidence Contaminated?

There was evidence that allegedly police officers had used the cellphone while in their custody. This is normally considered a breach of evidential exhibit. The defence argued that this misuse of the cellphone which was to be entered into as evidence, and which turned out to be key to the Prosecution’s case was contaminated (evidence) and should not have been admitted at the trial.

Trial Judge

The trial judge ruled that the data was not not tampered with in any way and dismissed the defence’s objection.

Approval To Proceed to UK PC …

The local Appeal Court will have to give the go ahead to allow this case to be sent to the final Appellate Court … The Privy Council.

We await the Court’s decision. Interesting times ahead.

There has been local and much Internationally public debate if not pressure to free Kartel. The music industry see him as hot commodity commercially.

Tainted Jury Member?

DPP Paula Llewellyn was very pleased with the quality of the case presented by the Prosecution … that was successful. The Jury was accepting of the quality of evidence presented. A jury member was found to have been tainted. This fact did not stop the case. A comedy of errors, you may say. The defence may use this fact also to argue their case for the release of Kartel.

Missing “Shoe”

It should be noted that one Mr. C. Williams aka “Lizard’ was believed murdered for allegedly not able to account for a missing “shoe” believed to be the code name for a gun. The Prosecution asked the court to accept that evidence gleaned led them to conclude that the missing gun was the motive for Lizard’s death. This missing shoe was the plank that was relied on to build their case regarding the death of Lizard. Lizard’s body was never found.

Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie is Senior National & International Correspondent for Vision Newspaper.