Nardis Maynard (Appellant) v The King (Respondent) (St Christopher and Nevis)

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Case summary

Case ID

JCPC/2022/0077

Jurisdiction

St Christopher and Nevis

Parties

Appellant(s)

Nardis Maynard

Respondent(s)

The King

Issue

This case is an appeal against a conviction for murder, on the following grounds: 1. Defence counsel failed to call alibi witnesses at trial; 2. The Judge failed to identify the weaknesses of the prosecution case when summing up; and 3. The Judge failed to give a good character direction to the jury on NM's behalf. The appellant, Nardis Maynard ("NM") submits that on the basis of these factors, his conviction is unsafe and should be quashed.

Facts

In July 2004, NM was found Guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. NM's case was that at the time of the offence, he was at home with his sister Yvette Maynard, his brother Terrence Maynard and his sister's boyfriend. NM called no alibi witnesses at trial, despite having served notice on the Crown and the court that he intended to do so. His appeal against conviction took sixteen years to come before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court sitting as the Court of Appeal, and was dismissed at that stage in June 2022.