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A report from Racquel Porter
A Trelawny swim instructor accused of killing a security guard at a lounge in Montego Bay, St. James three years ago, was again granted bail following a major court ruling that sent the case back to the Parish Court.
Kenya Robinson was offered bail in the sum of $400,000 on Thursday following an application by his attorneys, John Jacobs and Courtney Rowe, in the St. James Parish Court.
Mr. Robinson is to report to the police twice weekly, surrender his travel documents and comply with a stop order.
He is charged with the March 10, 2022 stabbing death of security guard Kristoff Hibbert.
According to earlier reports, Mr. Hibbert was on duty at the lounge about 10:56 p.m. when he got into an altercation with Mr. Robinson, who was a patron.
Mr. Hibbert was reportedly stabbed in the chest during the dispute.
Mr. Robinson was later charged and granted bail by then senior parish court Judge Sasha-Marie Ashley.
After several court dates, Judge Ashley ruled, during a committal hearing, that the matter should be sent to the Circuit Court for him to stand trial.
His attorneys, Courtney Rowe and John Jacobs, objected to the admission of the prosecution's key witness statement during that hearing.
They argued that the statement was non-compliant with the Committal Proceedings Act (CPA) and should not have been relied on.
Judge Ashley admitted the statement regardless and the matter proceeded to the Circuit Court.
Mr. Robinson's attorneys subsequently saw to judicial review challenging the judge's decision.
On July 11, 2025, Justices Andrea Thomas, Anne-Marie Nembhard and Dale Staple of the Full Court delivered a ruling overturning the committal.
They held that the parish judge had erred in law by admitting a procedural, defective eyewitness statement, which was the only evidence directly linking Mr. Robinson to the killing.
The judges found that the document was inadmissible under Section 6 of the CPA because it lacked a mandatory signature from the recording officer.
They stressed that the omission went to the heart of the statement's admissibility and could not be remedied by a supplementary police statement.
Given the seriousness of the defect, the Full Court quashed the committal order and directed that the matter begin anew in the parish court before a different judge.
The prosecution's case depends heavily on the account of the sole eyewitness.
Mr. Robinson is scheduled to return to court on January 21 when prosecutors will indicate how they intend to proceed.
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