'What is there to retry?' asks Vybz Kartel following Privy Council ruling
Key Points(5)
- Vybz Kartel and Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John, were sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for the murder of Clive "Lizard" Williams in 2011.
- In his first official statement, shared with Fox 5 News’ Lisa Evers, Vybz Kartel said he was elated that the Privy Council “understood the assignment and remedied the situation” by overturning the convictions due to juror misconduct.
- The Privy Council ordered that the case be returned to Jamaica’s Appeal Court to decide whether a retrial is necessary for Kartel and the three men.
- But Vybz Kartel questioned the need for a retrial, saying, “I am confident that the Court of Appeal in Jamaica will do the right thing in the name of equity, fairness and justice and free us.
- Some people have expressed their concern to me that a retrial may be ordered but to them I say (albeit with my limited knowledge of the law) ‘What is there to retry’?” “I am now back to being an innocent man in the eyes of the law.
"Victorious" was the word used by dancehall artist Vybz Kartel to describe his emotions following the Privy Council’s decision on Thursday to overturn his conviction and that of his three co-accused.
Vybz Kartel and Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John, were sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for the murder of Clive "Lizard" Williams in 2011.
In his first official statement, shared with Fox 5 News’ Lisa Evers, Vybz Kartel said he was elated that the Privy Council “understood the assignment and remedied the situation” by overturning the convictions due to juror misconduct.
The Privy Council ordered that the case be returned to Jamaica’s Appeal Court to decide whether a retrial is necessary for Kartel and the three men.
But Vybz Kartel questioned the need for a retrial, saying, “I am confident that the Court of Appeal in Jamaica will do the right thing in the name of equity, fairness and justice and free us. Some people have expressed their concern to me that a retrial may be ordered but to them I say (albeit with my limited knowledge of the law) ‘What is there to retry’?”
“I am now back to being an innocent man in the eyes of the law. A grave injustice was done to me and my co-accused in the original trial… and my cries were heard in the land’s highest court," the deejay added.
Privy Council's decision
The judicial committee of the Privy Council unanimously concluded that the appellants' convictions should be quashed on the grounds of juror misconduct.
During the 64-day trial of Kartel, the judge was alerted to an allegation that a juror had attempted to bribe others by offering $500,000 JMD for a specific verdict. After investigating the allegation and consulting with counsel for both the prosecution and defense, the judge opted to continue the trial without dismissing the jury or the implicated juror. The juror was later found guilty.
The Privy Council's panel of justices said that the decision to not discharge the jury or the accused juror following allegations of bribery attempts was "fatal to the safety of the convictions which followed."
Kartel says star witness is a liar
In his statement, Vybz Kartel also stated that the prosecution's star witness during the trial, Lamar Chow, is a "liar extraordinaire."
At trial, the prosecution case was that Williams and Chow had been given two unlicensed firearms belonging to Vybz Kartel for safekeeping. They were later summoned to the deejay's house and both attacked, after which Chow saw the Williams lying motionless on the ground with Jones bending over him. Chow escaped but Williams was never seen again.
In addition to calling out the witness, Vybz Kartel also said the phone evidence was tampered with by police and should not have been included in the trial.
Pointing out these irregularities, the deejay said, "I'm not the least bit worried as I know I will be acquitted and go home to my family."
