Court of Appeal mulls over convicted killer’s appeal

The Court of Appeal has reserved its decision on an appeal brought by convicted killer Terry Cassius Seale who has challenged his 18-year prison sentence.

Seale, of Groves Crescent, St George, was sentenced to that time in jail back in December 2018, for killing his former lover, Moreta Forde.

On Tuesday, his attorney Dennis Headley addressed the three-member panel of Justices of Appeal Francis Belle, Margaret Reifer and Jefferson Cumberbatch during a virtual sitting. Senior Crown Counsel Rudolph Burnett and Crown Counsel Romario Straker replied asking the court to dismiss the appeal.

Seale had been charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Forde, a former Cable and Wireless worker. She was killed between October 30 and 31, 2014.

While the maximum penalty for manslaughter is life in prison, the sentencing judge, Justice Jacqueline Cornelius, said she believed a starting point of 25 years was reasonable in Seale’s case with a further two years owing to the aggravating factors.

At the time of sentencing, Seale had already spent 1,776 days on remand, which meant he had a further 4,794 days remaining at the time he was sentenced.

The trial judge gave Seale a one-third discount for his guilty plea, bringing the sentence down to 18 years at Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds.