Court to impose fresh prison terms to replace mandatory death sentence for two

The matters of two former condemned killers, who are to be re-sentenced, were called up before the High Court on Thursday.

Clyde Anderson Grazette, from St Stephen’s Hill, Black Rock, St Michael, had been sentenced to hang for murdering 18-year-old Roseanne Griffith between May 19 and 20, 2001. He has been on death row since 2006.

The other man, Carlton Junior Hall of 2nd Avenue, Chapman Lane, St Michael who murdered Adrian Wilkinson, had been sentenced to hang after being found guilty by a 12-member jury of shooting Wilkinson in Speightstown, St Peter on August 14, 2011.

Once convicted, Hall challenged the results of the case before the Barbados Court of Appeal. That challenge was dismissed on January 23, 2019 and an order was made that he receive a new sentence.

He also went to the CCJ, Barbados’ highest court. That court affirmed the March 2, 2016 conviction of the 12-member jury.

However both men must now be re-sentenced by the High Court after the CCJ ruled that the mandatory death sentence for murder was unconstitutional.

The two appeared before Madam Justice Jaqueline Cornelius, who had previously sentenced them, during a zoom sitting of the court, today but the matter was adjourned until next week so parties can receive all written submissions.

Both convicts are represented by attorneys-at-law Andrew Pilgrim Q.C. and Sian Lange while attorney Neville Watson is representing the state.