Vybz Kartel and co-accused freed

 

Adidja 'Vybz Kartel' Palmer, Shawn 'Shawn Storm' Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St. John, have been freed by the Court of Appeal. 

 

The men, who were convicted for the murder of Clive 'Lizard' Williams on March 13, 2014, had their convictions quashed ten years and a day later by the UK based Privy Council, who remitted the matter back to Jamaica's Court of Appeal for a decision to be made on whether the men should be retried.

 

On Wednesday, President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Marva McDonald Bishop, announced the court's unanimous decision. 

 

She said despite seriousness of the case and the apparent "barefaced defiance of law and order", the court had to also consider other factors, such as the length of time the men have already been in custody, the lapse in time between the committing of the alleged offence and a possible retrial, and the psychological and health impact on the appellants if a new trial were to be ordered.  

 

Defence lawyers, particularly for Vybz Kartel, had cited the dancehall artiste's declining mental and physical health, noting his battle with Grave's Disease.

 

The court also pointed to the absence of exhibits and witnesses from the previous trial as well as the significant time, expense and court resources a retrial would require, as factors that led to the decision for a verdict of acquittal to be entered.