Vybz Kartel
Jamaican dancehall icon, Vybz Kartel, has seen a significant development in his legal battle as his murder conviction has been overturned by the Privy Council in the UK, citing misconduct by a juror during the trial.
The 48-year-old artiste, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 for his alleged involvement in the killing of Clive “Lizard” Williams on the Caribbean Island.
However, after an appeal against the murder conviction was entered at the Privy Council earlier this year, a two-day hearing resulted in a favourable outcome for Kartel.
The Privy Council, serving as the final court of appeal in Jamaica and several other Commonwealth countries, concluded that the presence of a tainted juror compromised the fairness of the trial.
The juror in question had been accused of attempting to bribe fellow jurors and was subsequently convicted of the offense.
Lord Reed, Lord Lloyd-Jones, Lord Briggs, Lord Burrows, and Lady Simler presided over the appeal proceedings, ultimately determining that it was unsafe to allow the tainted juror to remain on the jury that decided the fate of Kartel and his co-defendants.
While the murder conviction has been overturned, the case will now be remitted to the Jamaican Court of Appeal to decide whether a retrial is warranted.
Vybz Kartel, renowned as one of Jamaica’s most popular artistes, has garnered international recognition through collaborations with top American artistes such as Jay-Z and Rihanna. His trial in Kingston spanned an extensive 64 days, making it one of the lengthiest trials in Jamaican history. Initially sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 35 years, Kartel’s sentence was later reduced on appeal to 32-and-a-half years.