BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FOUR convicted murderers who are appealing their sentences had their matters adjourned yesterday (Mar. 15) at the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.
His Lordship Justice Hugh Rawlins, Her Ladyship Justice Ola Mae Edwards and Acting Justice of Appeal Tyrone Chung accepted Barrister-at-Law Angela Inniss’ submissions for the adjournment on behalf of Romeo Cannonier, Ruedeney Williams, Sheldon Isaac and Louis Gardener.
Justice Rawlins granted the adjournment until July’s sitting and said that weighty constitutional questions would be asked, as the Privy Council had directed them to post a number of questions which he hoped would be adhere to at the next sitting.
Cannonier is appealing two death sentences for as many murders. His first conviction was on October 23, 2007 for the murder of Police Constable Delvin Nisbett on July 25, 2004.
Nisbett was gunned down in cold blood on that night while traversing a stretch of road between Parsons Village and Dieppe Bay en route to his girl friend’s home. According to evidence presented during the case, Cannonier confessed to his then girlfriend that he had committed the crime.
He is also appealing against another death sentence for which he was jointly convicted with Williams, Isaac and Gardener for the murder of Gavin ‘Magilla’ Gilbert.
According to the indictment, sometime between December 2004 and March 21, 2005 the quartet had conspired to kill Gavin Gilbert who was murdered just outside of his Saddlers Village home on the latter date.
They were sentenced to death by hanging by the then presiding judge, Justice Albert Redhead.
Meanwhile, the appeal against the murder conviction of Warrington Phillip was also adjourned until the July sitting of the Court of Appeal.
The Director of Public Prosecution, Paulina Hendrickson, asked the Justices of Appeal for an adjournment in that matter.
Hendrickson did not provide a detailed explanation but said she had discussions with Phillip’s lawyer, Dr. Henry Browne, who had no objections for the matter to be adjourned.
Phillip (42), a former Nevis and Leeward Islands cricketer, was found guilty of killing Shermel Phillip (27), his wife of four years, by a six-male/six-female jury after a two-hour deliberation.
He was then sentenced to life imprisonment by Her Ladyship Justice Ianthea Leigertwood-Octave on Monday, December 22, 2008.
Phillip was arrested and charged on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 with the murder of his wife, whose body was discovered by neighbours in her car with multiple injuries at her Brown Hill, residence in Nevis on Friday, February 16, 2007.
The Jessups Village resident was said to be an outstanding left-arm spinner who played 43 first-class matches for Leeward Islands between 1990 and 1999, taking 148 wickets at 25.52 apiece.
He was also said to be instrumental in the Stanford 20/20 cricket held in 2006 where he helped Nevis to reach the Semi-Final stage.
