Dpp Mulls – By Kisean Joseph
Dpp Mulls Appeal Defence
Director of Public Prosecutions Clement Joseph says all options remain on the table following the acquittal of two defendants in the Nigel Christian murder trial — as defense attorney Wendell Alexander confirms he will challenge the one conviction handed down.
Joseph told Observer Media he will seek advice and make a decision on a possible appeal within the statutory timeframe, describing the case as one of the most difficult his office has handled.
The DPP said the outcome would have brought some measure of closure to the family of the deceased, though not entirely, noting that the six-year gap between the killing and trial significantly weakened the evidentiary foundation of the prosecution’s case.
“Six years post-killing is when this matter came up. Some evidence could have been harnessed better to close certain loopholes,” he said, adding that closer coordination between his office and police could have resolved several issues before proceedings began.
Joseph also revealed that statements from FBI analysts — who assisted with cell phone and DNA evidence — were only received within a week of the trial’s start, describing the delay as potentially fatal to the case had the documents not arrived in time.
The DPP was candid about the toll the two-month trial took on his office, noting that a significant volume of other work was deferred during the proceedings. He added that had he been afforded adequate preparation time across the six years the case was pending, the outcome may have been different.
On media coverage, Joseph was pointed, saying reporting on the trial was not overdone, but underdone. He said the prevailing tone projected doom and gloom, which he believes caused some of the victim’s overseas relatives to lose hope entirely.
Despite widespread public disappointment, the DPP urged the public to respect the jury’s role — reminding them that the men and women who served sat through ten weeks of evidence that the general public did not hear.
“The message to society is the system works. Man is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” he said.
Meanwhile, Alexander says he has already begun drafting his grounds of appeal on behalf of the convicted defendant.
“Yes, I will appeal, and as a matter of fact, I already drafted some of my grounds of appeal, but I shall wait a little,” Alexander said.
Looking ahead, Joseph signaled that his office would press forward on a backlog of murder cases — some old, some recent, and others at the midpoint of proceedings.
