25-year prison term thrown out

After languishing in prison for “two years, seven-months and three-weeks,” Ronald “Twin” Samuel of All Saints had his rape and buggery convictions dismissed by the Court of Appeal due to errors made during his initial trial.
Speaking exclusively with OBSERVER media after his 25-year conviction for rape and 15-year conviction for buggery were thrown out yesterday, Samuel said he delights in knowing wrongfully convicted people can get redress from the justice system.
“I was shocked. When the judge said I was free I was standing looking around wondering where to go, because three years now I’m in the prison with everybody telling me where to go and what to do. So now, I was just wondering where to go. The police had to tell me leave,” a jubilant Samuel said.
The complaint made on February 21, 2011 was that Samuel raped and buggered an adult woman who was in a relationship with him.
At his trial before the now retired High Court judge Albert Redhead, Samuel was represented by Lawrence Daniels, who had made a no case submission and had asked the judge to dismiss the case because the prosecution had failed to prove the allegation of forced sexual acts.
That submission was shot down and although the victim was reluctant to testify and said that she couldn’t recall what happened, the jury was left to decide Samuel’s fate.
The judge told the jurors they were to consider all the testimony, including medical evidence of bruising, lacerations and injuries.
The former convict was found guilty in October 2014 and earlier trial records show he was sentenced to 25 years for rape and 15 years for buggery, and the sentences were to run concurrently.
The 46-year-old father of five, who was a contractor, said he joined the prison construction crew while serving his sentence and he said that working outside the Coronation Road facility helped him pass the time.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)