The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE Court of Appeal upheld the 42-year prison sentence of a Jamaican woman who fatally stabbed her girlfriend in 2018.

Natasha Beckford, 35, argued with Lakeisha Mackey outside the Mayfair Hotel on West Bay Street on the night of February 20, 2021. She dragged Mackey to the ground and fatally stabbed her with a beer bottle.

In an interview with police submitted during Beckford’s Supreme Court trial, she admitted to stabbing the victim twice with a beer bottle.

Cheryl Russell, an eyewitness, testified that she saw Beckford fight and stab the victim outside the hotel.

A phone call between Beckford and Lakeria Mott shortly after the incident was submitted as evidence that the two women fought.

Beckford appealed the sentencing on the grounds that it was unduly severe and that the jury only took an hour to deliberate before reaching a verdict. She also objected to the submission of the expletive-filled phone conversation she had with Ms Mott, saying it was more prejudicial than probative.

The justices dismissed the first two grounds of appeal, saying the sentencing aligned with similar cases.

While admitting that the appellant’s Jamaican accent was not easily understood, which may have alienated some jurors, Sir Michael Barnett found the audio admissible. He also noted that the audio was the only evidence submitted supporting Beckford’s self-defence claim.

“It cannot be said that the audio records had no probative value and its contents were irrelevant to the issues in the case,” Sir Michael Barnett said. “The appellant’s defence was one of self-defence. There was no evidence from which a jury could discern a basis for the argument of self-defence otherwise from the audio recording. The appellant, in her ROI, never suggested that she acted in self-defence. The evidence of Ms Russell did not support and indeed contradicted the claim of self-defence. According to Ms Russell, the deceased was walking away from the appellant. The appellant was driving away, stopped her car, came out of it, ran toward the deceased, grabbed her by her hair and dragged her down.”

“The audio recording was the only bit of evidence that could remotely support the defence of self-defence. In the audio recording, the appellant repeated, ‘what about me’, “glad everybody saw (expletive) she just try to do to me just now”, “she try to hurt me”, ‘she try to fight me’”.

“Moreover, the audio recording helped the jury in assessing the appellant’s credibility. In her interview with the police, she denied saying, ‘I’m a vampire. I cut her throat and drink her blood.’ However, the jury was able to hear her say that on the audio recording.’”

Justices Sir Michael Barnett, Brian Moree and Indira Charles presided over the matter.