Well, the Privy Council have done it now….
they have freed a man who was convicted for a murder when he was 12 years old
because he claimed that the police beat him and forced him to sign a confession. He has already served 13 years in prison.
Did you know that you can be convicted of murder in Jamaica even if you are 12 years old ? I didn’t know that until today.
Wonder how young you have to be before the judge decides you are too young to stand trial for murder…..
I know the police have a hard time….. and the island is violent….. and many of us Jamaicans are as mad as a shad…… but surely our judges must be required to take some
extenuating factors into consideration ?
Like being 12 years old and one of three accused ?……
However, lest we forget that our madness is catching, please note that a highly respectable, and highly respected, American botanist Dr. George Proctor (86 years old, no less) is in court to answer charges of paying US$80,000 to someone to murder his 66 year old wife.
Dr. Proctor’s defense is not yet known, but it seems certain that he will say that he has been living in Jamaica for 57 years – clearly enough time to absorb our Mad, Bad and Dangerous-to-know-ness in the water, the air and, of course, in the plants.
Points to note, please, Dr. Proctor
No true Jamaican man would have paid more than J$200,000 to murder his wife (J$5.2 million !!! What were you thinking ?!!!!)
No true Jamaican man would have his wife/girlfriend/baby mother murdered. You can do it yourself in a fit of rage, but otherwise the preferred method of disposing of a nag is to wait until she goes shopping and dump all her stuff on the lawn (if you own the house) OR wait until she goes shopping and remove yourself, your belongings and all furniture and valuables to the home of your new ladyfriend (if she owns the house).
“Constitutional Chaos : What Happens When the Government Breaks Its Own Laws” (Andrew P. Napolitano)
“A Theory of Justice” (John Rawls)
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