(Trinidad Express) – Police Constable Dave Burnett has temporarily escaped the hangman’s noose because of a glaring error committed by the judge who presided over his trial.
On Wednesday, the Privy Council found that Burnett’s conviction for murder was unsafe on the basis that Justice Ian Stuart Brook, who has since resigned from the judiciary, failed to direct the jury on the issue of provocation.
As a result, Lords Phillips, Saville, Rodger, Walker and Mance ruled that Burnett was deprived of a fair trial. They deliberated on the issue for only ten minutes before arriving at their decision, the Express was informed.
