Murderer loses his appeal

Convicted murderer Carlton Junior Hall has had his appeal against his conviction dismissed.

The Appeal Court comprised of Justices Kay Goodridge, Margaret Reifer and William Chandler, upheld the decision of a 12-member jury, who had found a then 25-year old Hall guilty of murdering Adrian Wilkinson on March 2, 2016.

Wilkson died on the spot at Speightstown, St Peter on Sunday, August 14, 2011, after being gunned down.

Hall was sentenced to hang by trial judge Justice Jacqueline Cornelius.

But Hall, whose last address was given as 2nd Avenue, Chapman Lane, St Michael, through his attorney Queen’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim had appealed the conviction.

The appeal was in relation to identification, as per section 102 of Evidence Act in what amounts to special circumstances, due to the fact that the Crown’s case relied on identification evidence.

In a 31-page judgment handed down and delivered by Reifer yesterday, the court ruled that the evidence produced by the Crown was of such a standard as to constitute special circumstances, within the meaning of Section 102 2A of the Evidence Act and was properly placed before the jury who was adequately warned.

The court also ruled that the trial judge had correctly overruled a no-case submission.

However, because of a ruling made by Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that the imposition of a mandatory death penalty is unconstitutional, the court ordered that Hall be returned to the trial judge to be resentenced at the earliest opportunity.

Acting Deputy Director of Prosecution Anthony Blackman and Crown Counsel Oliver Thomas appeared on behalf of the Crown.