The United Kingdom based Privy Council has upheld the appeal of Anneth Livingston who was convicted for the April 2000 murder of attorney-at-law Shirley Playfair.
At the same time the Privy Council has given prosecutors just under a month to present arguments as to whether a new trial should be held.
Livingston was tried and convicted with two other defendants, Ramone Drysdale and Ashley Ricketts.
At the time Livingston was sentenced to life in prison along with the others.
The Privy Council ruled that the directions to the jury in respect of the case against the appellant were deficient.
The law lords said there was an omission to direct the jury upon the matters relevant to their assessment of the identification evidence given by one of the witnesses who was also a secretary in Miss Playfair's office.
The Privy Council also considers that the summing-up of the evidence lacked the necessary balance and introduced material which was prejudicial to the appellant.
The Council said the effect of these deficiencies is that the defence case was not put before the jury in a fair and balanced way.
The Privy Council is now opening the door for written submissions on the question whether there should be a remit to the Court of Appeal to consider whether a retrial should be ordered, and on the question of costs, within 28 days.
Shirley Playfair was attacked and stabbed to death at her Seymour Avenue offices on April 10, 2000.
Prosecutors led evidence that Livingston; who was Mrs Playfair's secretary at the time, arranged the killing.
Livingston was ordered to serve 60 years behind bars before becoming eligible for parole while Drysdale and Ricketts are to serve 55 and 45 years respectively before parole.
All feeds
