No bail for Zekes
February 22, 2008
Former Matthews Lane strongman Donald 'Zekes' Phipps was on Wednesday denied bail on his double-murder convictions.
Phipps had sought bail pending the outcome of his appeal.
Attorney-at-law Jacqueline Samuels Brown made the application on the grounds that Phipps had a serious stomach ailment and the transcript of the trial was not ready.
Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn opposed the bail application.
Miss Llewellyn said under Section 4 of the Bail Act, Phipps was not entitled to bail because he committed the double-murder while he was on bail on other charges.
Medical attention in prison
In turning down the bail application, Miss Justice Gloria Smith said that she was satisfied that Phipps could get medical treatment in prison.
Miss Llewellyn told the judge that she made checks and was told that the notes of evidence of the double-murder trial would be available by Friday.
Phipps was convicted in May last year of the murder of Leroy Rodney Farquharson and Dayton Williams both of Bayshore Park, East Kingston.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment and is to serve 30 years before parole.
Phipps is appealing against his murder convictions on the grounds that his trial was unfair and amounted to an abuse of the process of the court.
Author: Gleaner Reporter
Source: Jamaica Gleaner
