WATCH: ‘We deserve justice for Vanessa’
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Family and friends of Vanessa Kirkland have been left seeking justice once again following Monday’s acquittal of the three cops involved in the schoolgirl’s shooting death 11 years ago.
Kirkland’s mother was in tears after being informed of the acquittal by a reporter when an OBSERVER ONLINE news team visited her in Greenwich Town, Kingston.
“I’m leaving everything to Father God,” the grief-stricken mom, Veronica Nelson, said. “He fights my battles for me. I can’t fight it myself.”
A neighbour of Nelson, Maria Cole described as “very unfair” the ruling by the Court of Appeal to free constables Andrewain Smith, Durvin Hayles and Ana-Kaye Bailey, who were in 2013 convicted of manslaughter in relation to the shooting death of Vanessa and sentenced to 14 years and six months in prison each.
“As a mother myself, it is very unfair to know that Vanessa has died and nothing has come out of it. All police have come out scot-free. I feel it to my heart,” Cole said.
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.
The three cops had been out on bail pending the appeal, which was filed in 2019.
The appeal court overthrew the convictions after the panel of three judges noted errors made by the Supreme Court trial judge, including the fact that there was no option for a retrial as the appellants had already been acquitted of murder.
But the ruling has left loved ones of Kirkland feeling empty.
“We feel a way and we can’t stop grieve for her. We think we deserve real justice for her,” said Whitney Palmer, who said she was mentored by Kirkland who was a student of the prestigious all-girls’ institution, Immaculate Conception High School.
