R v Beckford

• Jurisdiction: Jamaica
• Court: Court of Appeal (Jamaica)
• Judge: Gordon, J.A.
• Judgment Date: 20 February 1989
• Neutral Citation: JM 1989 CA 30
• Docket Number: Criminal Appeal No. 137 of 1988
• Date: 20 February 1989

Court of Appeal

Carey, J.A.; Campbell, J.A.; Gordon, J.A. (Ag.)

Criminal Appeal No. 137 of 1988

R

and

Beckford

Appearances:

D. Chuck for applicant.

C. Stam for Crown.

Criminal law - Murder — Conviction — Application for leave to appeal — Issues fairly dealt with in summation of trial judge — Application refused.

1 Gordon, J.A. (AG.): This was an application for leave to appeal against conviction on 9th June, 1988 for the offence of murder before Langrin, J. sitting with a jury in the Home Circuit Court. Mr. Chuck for the applicant with his usual candour said that no grounds of appeal had been filed as on a perusal of the file the only issue was that of identification and the learned trial judge had dealt adequately with it and there was no meritorious ground that could be urged on the Court.

2 The facts supporting the conviction wore given by the chief prosecution witness, Delroy Walker. He said that at about 9.30 p.m. on the 15th October, 1986 he was on the road by premises Penwood Place, St. Andrew with Andrew Jackson and Johnny Mills. Andrew Jackson and Mills left the witness and Jackson entered premises nearby. After waiting for Jackson to return and not seeing him, the witness was about to enter the premises Jackson had gone into when he was approached by one Wayne Smith who came out of the said premises. Smith was armed with a M16 rifle. Smith held the witness and took him into the premises. In the yard he saw Andrew Jackson being held by two other men, one of was the applicant. Each man had a short gun. He said he had known the applicant who went by the name ‘Prentice’ for twenty-two years. The witness said that for some time there had been gang-warfare between rival areas designated...