BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal will be sitting next week (July 4-8) at Sir Lee Llewellyn Moore Llewellyn Moore Judicial and Legal Complex where a number of adjourned appeal matters are scheduled to be heard.
Among the list of criminal and civil appeals to be heard are convicted murderers Warrington Phillip, Romeo Cannonier, Ruedeney Williams, Sheldon Isaac, Louis Gardiner and Louis Richards.
Their appeals were adjourned from the March 2011 sitting.
The Director of Public Prosecution, Paulina Hendrickson, had asked the Justices of Appeal for an adjournment in Phillip’s matter. Phillip is appealing against a life sentence.
Although the DPP did not provide a detailed explanation as to the reason for the adjournment, she stated that she had discussions with Phillip’s lawyer, Dr. Henry Browne, who had no objection 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 at the Charlestown High Court.
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.
Also at the March sitting, 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 next week’s sitting and stated 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 adhered to at the sitting.
Cannonier is appealing two death sentences for as many murders, while Williams, Isaac and Gardener are also appealing against their sentence.
Cannonier’s 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 girlfriend’s home.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Cannonier had confessed to his then girlfriend that he 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. A former Defence Force Private, Louis Richards, whose appeal against conviction of manslaughter was adjourned from the last appeal court sitting, is also expected to be heard next week.
According to evidence presented in court, on October 14, 2008, a 12-member jury convicted Richards of the August 3, 2007 killing of Clyde Williams of Old Road. He was originally charged with two counts of wounding with intent and one count of murder. He was however exonerated of the murder charge and convicted of manslaughter and wounding.
According to evidence in the case, on the night of August 3, 2007, Richards was shot while at the Lovers’ Bar in Old Road. Sometime later, he returned fire and struck Addren ‘Ado’ Searles in his arm and he also shot Clyde Williams who succumbed to his injuries.
Sometime after, Richards, in the company of fellow Strike Force operatives, walked to the eastern end of Old Road where he saw Jevon ‘Herbie’ Woodley, whom he said was motioning so as to remove a weapon from his waist.
At that point, Richards shot Woodley once and, as he tried to flee, the soldier shot him two more times.
Under oath, Richards told the court that Searles and Woodley were two of the three persons he saw shooting at him during the first phase of the incident.
Richards was sentenced to 12 years for Manslaughter.
