Three cops in Vanessa Kirkland killing freed on appeal
The three police constables convicted in the 2012 shooting death of 16-year-old student Vanessa Kirkland were acquitted in the Court of Appeal on Monday.
The cops – constables Adrewain Smith, Durvin Hayles and Anna-Kaye Bailey – had their 2019 convictions quashed after a number of errors by the Supreme Court trial judge were cited.
They had each been sentenced to 14-years and 6 months in prison for manslaughter in relation to Kirkland’s death.
Kirkland, a student of Immaculate Conception High School, was shot and killed on March 20, 2012 on Norman Lane, Kingston 13 after the three police constables allegedly drove on to Norman Lane sometime after 9 o’ clock on the night of the incident and opened fire on a blue Suzuki Swift motor car parked along the left side of the road. Six other people were reportedly shot and injured in the incident.
The defence team which included attorneys Peter Champagnie, who represented the two male accused, and Oswest Senior Smith, who represented the female, argued that the defendants were acting in self-defence when they fired on the car.