Confusion over damning text message; appeal court reserves decision

THE COURT of Appeal was yesterday directed to two other dates when the damning text message at the centre of the Vybz Kartel appeal could have been created.

The assertion came as legal arguments ended in the appeal filed by Kartel, his protégé, Shawn Storm, and two other men against their convictions for murder and lengthy prison sentences.

The Court of Appeal reserved its decision.

“I am not about to indicate when we will make our decision, but we assure you that the matter will get some priority attention,” said president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Dennis Morrison, pointing to the thousands of pages of documents filed in the case.

Isat Buchanan, of the attorneys for Shawn Storm, argued yesterday that there was evidence during the entertainer’s murder trial that the damning BlackBerry messages were created August 23, 2011 and September 30, 2011.

“Between me and you a chop we chop up di bwoy Lizard fine fine and dash him weh,” read the message lif ted from K ar tel’s mobile phone, which prosecutors have asked the Court of Appeal to treat as an “admission to murder”.

Buchanan’s colleague, Bianca Samuels, who also represents Shawn Storm, asserted last week and insisted again yesterday that the message was created on July 6, 2011, six weeks before Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams was killed.

However, prosecutor Orrett Brown, i n his response l ast Friday, said that this assertion represent a misunderstanding of the evidence used in the murder trial. According to Brown, the folder containing the message was created on July 6, 2011, but the message itself was created on August 19, 2011, three days after Williams’ death.

Buchanan said it was this confusion over the date the message was created why it should not have been left to the 11-member jury to “sort it out.”

“They don’t have the expertise to do that. They are just ordinary men and women,” he insisted.