The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE appeals of three men contesting their convictions for the murder of a policeman have been delayed for another eight weeks.

Stephen “Die” Stubbs, Andrew “Yogi” Davis and Clinton “Russ” Evans, who were all sentenced to life in jail for the 1999 murder of Constable Jimmy Ambrose at the now-closed Club Rock Disco, returned yesterday to the Court of Appeal for a status report on the trial transcripts that were unavailable at November’s scheduled substantive hearing.

As a number of transcripts are still outstanding, counsel for the three appellants were instructed to file their transcript index before the new May 4 substantive hearing date.

The appellate court put the new measure in place, effective from January 23, due to cases like these where trial transcripts exceeded 1,000 pages.

In October 2013, Crown prosecutors had sought the death penalty for the men, who were previously convicted of the murder in 2001 when the death penalty was automatically imposed for the capital offence.

That conviction and sentence were quashed on appeal in 2004, but they were convicted in July 2013 at a retrial. A week before sentencing, Crown prosecutors gave notice of the intent to seek the death penalty.

But Justice Roy Jones said the case did not meet the “worst of the worst” requirements for the death penalty and, even if it had, the prosecution had failed to follow sentencing guidelines by giving notice of their intention in the specified time.