Vybz Kartel Attempts To Take Appeal To The UK Privy Council
Dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel and his other co-convicts are officially seeking to have their appeal heard by the Privy Council in the UK. Kartel, Shawn “Storm” Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St. John were all given life sentences for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams.
The men have undertaken to seek leave from the Jamaica Court of Appeal to take the matter to the Privy Council, which is the fifth and highest tier of the Jamaican Justice system.
Appeals to the Privy Council do not come by often. They are restricted to cases of a certain monetary value or where they are of exceptional public importance.
The proceedings will take place next Monday, June 29.
A three-member panel upheld Adidja “Vybz Kartel” Palmer’s murder conviction on April 3, 2020. In 2014, Kartel, who is now 44-years-old, was sentenced to life in prison after a 64-day trial.
The Court of Appeal Judges Frank Wiliams, Dennis Morrison, and Patrick Brooks released a 235-page opinion about the many inconsistencies observed during the trial but did not to overturn the murder charges against Vybz Kartel and his co-defendants.
In addition, after hearing the appeal, it was determined that the sentence: “cannot be said to have been excessive to such an extent as to call for this court’s intervention”.
But the Court did admit that an oversight was made by the trial judge Justice Campbell during sentencing, who did not take into account the time the four men had spent in custody prior to sentencing.
Vybz Kartel and the three men’s parole time were reduced by two and a half years each. Kartel must serve 32 and a half years minimum before becoming eligible for parole. Shawn Campbell and Kahira Johns will now serve 22 years and six months, while Andre St John will serve 27 years and six months.
The defendants have all changed representation for their Privy Council proceedings as Kartel is now represented by Isat Buchanan and Shawn Campbell by Bert Samuels, while John Clarke is the attorney for Kahira Jones and Andre St John.
Of the many inconsistencies that were pointed out during the appeal trial in Jamaica was the fact that the prosecution’s sole eyewitness, Lamar “Wee” Chow who gave the main evidence for conviction said that that the events allegedly took place on August 16, 2011, over missing firearms but he reportedly never saw Williams’ body.
He apparently first stated that he saw Campbell’s body, but didn’t see him get killed then later said he never saw the body. There was also the widely publicized allegations that there was police tampering with cellphone evidence while it was in their custody and the bribery of some members of the jury.
It is now known that during the trial, a member of the jury had attempted to persuade another juror by offering $500,000, however even with this knowledge, Judge Campbell decided the case went on.
Kartel has been behind bars since 2011 on a marijuana charge and has consistently kept at his craft. The widely regarded King of Dancehall has released numerous albums and singles. His latest Of Dons & Divas is expected to dominate the airwaves and secure his throne when it is released this Friday, June 26.
Fans will have to wait a while longer, though, to see if he will once again be able to produce hits as a free man.