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Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel has been released from prison after a judge decided not to retry him on a murder charge.
The 48-year-old, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, was jailed in 2014 but a British judge overturned his conviction in March.
He had been accused of killing Clive “Lizard” Williams in Jamaica but had always maintained his innocence.
Despite his conviction Overturned by the Privy Council in London a few months agogiving Jamaican authorities time to decide whether he should be retried.
On Wednesday, Jamaican appeals judges decided not to hear the case again, meaning Kartel, who is said to be in poor health, could be released from prison.
During the 2014 trial, the court heard that the victim, Clive Williams, and another man, Lamar Chow, were handed over to Kartel for safekeeping of two unlicensed firearms.
Prosecutors said they were summoned to the cartel’s home in August 2011 after they failed to return the stolen goods at the agreed time.
Mr Zhou told the trial they were attacked and the last thing he saw was Clive Williams – who never came back to life – lying motionless on the ground.
The house burned down a few days later and his body has never been found.
Cattell and his co-accused Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St John had always maintained their innocence but were eventually found guilty and jailed for life, with Cattell being told he would spend at least 35 years in prison.
He appealed first to the Jamaican courts and then took his case to the Privy Council in London, the highest appellate court for Jamaica and other Commonwealth countries.
His defense team argued that jurors accused of trying to bribe others should be thrown out of the trial.
The London court agreed with Carter’s claims and ruled in March that the decision not to remove the jurors made the conviction unsafe.
The judges said the move had “fatal implications for the safety of subsequent convictions” and “violated (the accused’s) fundamental right to a fair hearing.”
On Wednesday, Marva McDonald-Bishop, one of three judges on Jamaica’s Court of Appeal, said they had weighed the “egregious nature and gravity of the crime” against the passage of time, lack of access to witnesses and evidence, and the huge expense of a retrial.
She also said Khater’s “health is declining” and a new trial would take a toll on his physical and mental health.
“We have concluded that a new trial is not necessary in the interests of justice,” she said, adding that Khater and his co-defendants have been formally acquitted.
According to AFP, the court in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, was under tight security and people across the country were closely watching the hearing.
“A Big Day in the Ballroom”
Vybez is one of Jamaica’s most popular artists and has worked with acts such as Jay-Z, Eminem and Rihanna.
His most notable creations include Clarks, Ramping Shop and Summer Time, and his success led him to launch product lines such as shoes, alcohol and condoms.
The singer also became the first dancehall artiste to star in her own reality show, “Teacha’s Pet”.
Hosted by Seani B 1Xtra’s Dancehall ShowKartel’s release “is a big day for Jamaica, it’s a big day for dancehall music and it’s a big day for the Jamaican justice system,” he told BBC Newsbeat.
“He is without a doubt one of the greatest dancehall artists in Jamaica,” Shawnee said.
“And in the last 14 years, the cartel has probably become more notorious. Now that he’s been released, I’d say he’s back in the space that was waiting for him for so many years.
“A new generation of dancehall music fans are waiting for the return of Vybz Kartel.”
Shawnee, who was working as a DJ at Boxpark in Croydon, south London, on Wednesday, said he listened to the court ruling on his mobile phone backstage.
“Everyone was delighted when the news was announced.
“It’s a relief for a lot of people, but at the same time, we have to think about the families of those who were murdered all those years ago.”
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