​Dancehall artist Vybz Kartel freed from prison after 13 years

Dancehall star Vybz Kartel has been released from prison after a judge ruled that he should not face retrial for murder.

The musician, real name Adidja Azim Palmer, was first arrested in 2011 along with three other men when he was accused of killing Clive "Lizard" Williams.

In 2014, Palmer appeared in a high-profile murder trial in Jamaica that spanned 64 days. He was sentenced to life in prison with an order to serve a minimum of 35 years in jail, which was later reduced to 32-and-a-half years.

The case was overturned in March this year by the UK’s privy council and was passed back to the court of appeal in Jamaica, which had a final say in whether the accused should stand trial again.

During the appeal against the conviction in London, a juror was accused of bribing others and was ultimately removed from the trial.

On Wednesday, July 31, appeal judges ruled that the case would not go to court again. 48-year-old Palmer, along with the three co-accused men, will now be released from jail, the BBC reports.

Appeal judge Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop said that the court had weighed up “the egregious nature and seriousness of the offence" along with the evidence supplied, the expense of a retrial, and “lack of access to witnesses”.

According to the court, Palmer is also in poor health, meaning a retrial could further impact his physical and mental wellbeing. “We conclude that the interests of justice do not require a new trial," she said.

Palmer first faced trial in 2014. A judge heard that the victim, Williams, along with another man named Lamar Chow, were summoned to Palmer’s house in Havendale, Kingston, in August 2011.

The men allegedly failed to return two unlicensed firearms belonging to Palmer at an agreed time. The house then burned down days after, and Williams was never seen alive again. A body was never recovered, but Chow testified that he had seen Williams motionless on the ground.

Palmer, along with the three co-accused men Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St John, have always maintained their innocence during convictions and trials.

[Via The Guardian & BBC]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter