C.C.J. Fixes Murder Term for Gregory August

Gregory August

The Caribbean Court of Justice, in a decision handed down this afternoon, upheld the conviction of Gregory August for which he is incarcerated for the murder of Alvin Robinson in 2009.  While the CCJ affirms the ruling of the Court of Appeal, August’s sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole has been overturned.  In its place is a finite sentence of thirty years in prison, less the time he has served thus far.  Following today’s decision handed down by President Denis Byron, Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl-Lynn Vidal told the media that her office is more than satisfied with the outcome of the matter.

Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, Director of Public Prosecutions

“We are extremely pleased that the court concluded that the August conviction was safe.  This is the position of course that we had maintained both at the Court of Appeal and at the CCJ.”

Cheryl-Lynn Vidal

Reporter

“Now give us a brief look at the points you made back in last July.”

Cheryl-Lynn Vidal

“The case against August was always circumstantial.  We had no direct evidence, no eyewitnesses that were able to testify that they saw him commit the offense, but we were of the view that the circumstantial evidence that we had were sufficient legally to establish the case.  Of course at the Supreme Court, the judge who tried the matter agreed with us and on appeal, our Court of Appeal also agreed with us in the first hearing and confirmed the same in the second hearing and now we have it at the CCJ level that indeed, legally the evidence was sufficient.”

Isani Cayetano

“This seems to be a bittersweet ending in the fact that while the conviction is upheld there is now a finite term that he will be serving, in terms of the thirty years, less the time served so far.  What are your opinions on the removal of the life sentence without the possibility of parole from this matter?”

Cheryl-Lynn Vidal

“Well I can certainly say, having been involved in the drafting process myself, along with the draftsmen from the Attorney General’s ministry that it was certainly not the intention of government to remove the death penalty and in the alternative a mandatory term of life imprisonment for persons who are convicted of murder.  The court has taken a different view of the interpretation to be given to the section and you will appreciate that we’ve just been read a summary.  I haven’t had the opportunity to read the entire judgment and to see the reasoning of the court.  So yes, it is something that immediately concerns me, having been involved in the drafting process but it is something that we would have to take a closer look at, but we do have a decision of our highest court saying that now it is possible for a person who is convicted of murder to get a fixed term sentence.”