High Court judge Majorie Cole-Smith at yesterday's opening of the Easter Circuit. (Photo: Paul Reid)

MONTEGO BAY, St James

Murder cases dominate the list of cases to be tried at the Easter session of the St James Circuit Court.

There are 16 murder matters on the list of 23 cases that are down to be heard in the three and half -week session which opened yesterday under High Court judge Majorie Cole-Smith.

Included on the list is the retrial of the four men accused of murdering four members of the same family in Retirement in November 2006.

Silvan Green, Alroy Shaw, Rick Thorpe and Ricardo Taylor are facing a retrial after the first trial ended in a hung jury earlier this year and was placed back on the list for this session.

Two of the defence attorneys involved in the case -Roy Fairclough and Trevor Ho-Lyn -however advised the court yesterday to push it back as far as possible as there was a possibility it could take up the entire Circuit.

Ho-Lyn told the court the first trial had lasted three weeks and used up all the time allotted to the last sitting of the Circuit.
It was agreed to mention the case on April 16th by which time the matter of legal representation should have been sorted out.

In her opening remarks, Cole-Smith thanked members of the jury who turned up but warned that she will not accept any "flimsy excuses" from persons asking to be excused from jury duty.

She told those who turned up that they had nothing to worry about.

"Come out and serve your parish" she urged, adding that the incidence of crime was too high here in St James.
The first case is expected to start on Monday.

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