Dancehall artist Vybz Kartel’s efforts to get the Privy Council to look at new evidence in his marathon legal battle to overturn his 2014 murder conviction got shot down by the Privy Council.
However, the legal argument concerning the 2020 ruling by the Jamaica Court Appeal, which upheld the Supreme Court’s 2014 murder conviction, is yet to be heard. But it is fair to assume the recent Privy Council ruling indicates what’s coming.
A new report of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council named Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, and his co-accused Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St. John as appellants vs. The King, as the respondent, in two applications made in November 2020.
Dancehallmag
The defense’s submissions had sought to introduce evidence that Kartel’s cellphone, which contained damning text and voice messages linking him to the murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams, had shown signs of tampering while in police custody.
“Having considered written submissions from the Appellants and the Respondent, we have agreed to report to Your Majesty as our opinion that permission to appeal to be refused in the application dated November 20, 2020,” the committee reported on Wednesday (Feb 21, 2023.
Dancehallmag
I knew the appeal wouldn’t go well for the World Boss. The evidence was strong against him, even though the uninformed believed otherwise. I am still disappointed with the artist for getting himself involved in the foolishness. He had money, women, and the world at his fingertips, and he allowed his ego to steer him down the dark path. Now, he would do anything to get back his freedom. I sincerely hope he comes to grips with his reality and uses the time to educate himself in some discipline that he could use to inspire young men. By the way, I heard he often cries like a baby in prison.