(Jamaica) The defendant appealed his conviction for murder. He said that he had intervened in a fight between his girlfriend and her brother and that the deceased was killed in self defence. There had been three trials; two of the defendant and two of the girlfriend, but on the occasion of his conviction, her evidence, which supported his, was excluded after his counsel failed to call her thorugh a mistake in law.
Held: The failure to give the good character direction with the mistake in not calling the girlfriend to give evidence meant that the conviction was unsafe.
Judges:
Lord Bingham of Cornhill, Lord Rodger of Earlsferry, Lord Carswell, Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, Lord Mance
Citations:
[2008] UKPC 35
Links:
Jurisdiction:
Commonwealth
Citing:
Cited – Director of Public Prosecutions v Walker PC 1974
. .
Cited – Paria v The State PC 15-Apr-2003
PC (Trinidad and Tobago) The defendant appealed his conviction for an unprovoked serious assault after the judge had failed to give a propensity direction. . .
Cited – Kervin Langton v The State PC 15-May-2000
PC (Trinidad and Tobago) The board considered the need for a good character direction. . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Crime
Updated: 17 July 2022; Ref: scu.270800