Vybz Kartel Trial: Judge Angered Lawyers Over BBM Messages


Vybz Kartel

Presiding judge Justice Lennox Campbell is now in his fifth day of summation in Vybz Kartel high profile murder trial in the Home Circuit court in Kingston.

Yesterday afternoon the judge angered defense attorneys when he reached a critical part of his summation, the controversial BBM messages extracted from a Blackberry smartphone that was tampered with by cops.

DETAILS: Vybz Kartel Trial: Attorneys And Judge Buck Heads Over Corrections

The judge highlighted to the 11-member jury that the defense has challenged the authenticity of the data extracted from the smartphone, but still was not forthcoming about one particular message.

The BBm message in question is regarding Clive “Lizard” Williams’ body being “chopped up fine fine” and disposed of.

“Based on the language of that text the author must be of the view that that person would never return,” the judge said. “If it is that it has been concocted to cast aspersion on them or to get them convicted, it would be that that person would be found intact, even if they were dead and not ‘fine fine’. It’s final. It speaks to the disposal of Lizard.”

“It would be a most uncouth police officer to go ahead and produce a text like that unless he knows that Lizard would not return,” he added.

At that time Vybz Kartel’s lead attorney Tom Tavares-Finson objected to the judge’s statement, asking what time and date was the message sent from the phone.

“Your Lordship, may I have the date and time of that message because that message was sent three hours after the phones were seized,” Tavares-Finson said.

But lead prosecution attorney Jeremy Taylor interjected asking, “Is that an objection within a summation?”

But another defense attorney Pierre Rodgers shot back sternly saying “yes that is exactly what it is.”

At that moment another attorney Tamika Harris got up and angrily stormed out of the courtroom.

Yesterday Justice Lennox Campbell also told jurors that the integrity of the phone was compromised in October of 2011.

He also said that Detective Sergeant Patrick Linton admitted under oath that the phones were compromise by police officers inside the cybercrime unit.


His body was never found.

Join The Conversation
  • justice for tommy

    What was the reason for officers using the phone seized by by them??if they were so sure the five accuse committed the crime why tamper with evidence???the jurors please take note,there is reasonable doubt to aquit.

  • terrence

    Can someone please explain why this case went to court in the first place?

    • Tendai Mwale

      Terrence, this judge is what one would call a mercenary judge, one bought to preside over a set up trial in a Kangaroo court. Kartel will not get justice. He is up against determine enemies who want to see him in jail for good. How can the judge say the BB message was not challenged when the defence proved the message was sent 3 hrs after the Police took the phone into their custody. there is no doubt in my mind now that this is a sham trial

      • terrence

        Thank you for that summation, I couldn’t have said it better myself.

  • https://www.org.com this me

    shady and biased case against ghetto ppl, them know kartels power and need to get him out by any means necessary, because if kartel start preach certain lyrics inna him music, the system would be in big trouble. Kartel has the type of influence that could bring about action from his large audience, and that is a threat to the system, they dont want those problems, they will stop at nothing, after kartel they will work on mavado, and whoever else is influential and poses a threat to the way they do things

    • kryme

      seriously if they wanted to get rid of kartel by any mean necessary it would be a 1000 times better to shoot him kill him and plant gun pon him and make up a story.. i dont think in and out of court for years is getting rid of kartel by any means necessary.. wat u saying is rubbish… ofcourse the lawyer is gonna say the phone was tampered with thats his job, to say anything that will discredit the evidence…. if the police had a clear pic of kartel stabbing lizard in his throat, the lawyer job is to stand up in court with a straight face and say the pic is photoshop… thats wat lawyers do….. so ofcourse the lawyer say anything about the bb messages… they r suppose to that…

      • max

        Get straight to the point

      • kryme

        Did make my point