KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The UK-based Privy Council has quashed the murder conviction of dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel and his co-convicts.
Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, Shawn Campbell, also known as “Shawn Storm,” Kahira Jones, and Andre “Mad Suss” St. John were convicted on March 13, 2014, for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams.
They were all sentenced to life in prison.
The men appealed the sentence at the Privy Council. During the hearing last month, held over two days from February 14, the Law Lords raised questions about the judge’s decision to continue the trial after it was revealed that a member of the jury pool had offered a bribe to the foreman to swing the verdict in favor of Kartel.
When the Privy Council’s decision was handed down on Thursday morning
almost ten years to the day Kartel and his co-accused were initially found guilty—the jury issue proved to be a deciding factor in the judge’s ruling.
In a short decision, the Privy Council said that although it sympathized with the trial judge, that judge’s handling of the jury matter presented a material irregularity.
The court judges concluded that the appeals should be allowed and the appellant’s convictions should be quashed for juror misconduct.
It said the case should be remitted to the Court of Appeal of Jamaica to decide whether to order a retrial of the appellants for the murder of Clive Williams.
and then 