Vybz Kartel’s defence team has again warned the Court of Appeal to be mindful of the effect that unregulated bloggers may have on how potential jurors may view the case should a re-trial be ordered.
The team says the publicity the matter has received should rule out any consideration of a re-trial.
Referencing the popular Bridgerton character Lady Whistledown, attorney representing Vybz Kartel, Isat Buchanan, told the three judges that anonymous figures often influence opinion and shape social outlook.
He warned that online platforms such as “Politricks Watch” have large audiences and often invite the public to view the judicial system with scepticism.
Mr. Buchanan says while these online bloggers secure their own privacy by hiding behind anonymous profiles, they often do real harm to the administration of justice.
Another member of the defence team, John Clarke, accepted that mere publicity is not enough to rule out the possibility of a retrial for his clients.
But he says there is significant risk of prejudice in the Kartel case as the content from the initial trial was already widely available in the public domain.
Clarke also warned the Court of Appeal that an unfair link had been assumed in the public domain between the jury tampering issue and the accused men.
This is despite the Privy Council declaring that there’s no evidence of a link between the men and the attempts at jury tampering which caused the initial convictions to be overturned.
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