Man accused of killing taxi-driver freed of charge

Anthony Jones was, in 2013, convicted of a lesser count of manslaughter for allegedly killing 56-year-old Joseph Leotaud, on April 19, 2002, at Leotaud’s home at Cumuto Road, San Raphael.

He was initially charged with Leotaud’s murder, but was found not guilty on the indictment of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.

He was sentenced to ten years, nine months’ hard labour.

Leotaud was found dead in his home with wounds about his body. The State, at Jones’ trial before Justice Hayden St Clair-Douglas, had argued that police were able to lift Jones’ left thumb print from the house as well as a window.

At his appeal argued by Jagdeo Singh, Jones contended that the trial judge erred in law when he failed to give a complete direction on the issue of joint enterprise, as well as give a full direction on the issue of alibi, and failed to give full and proper directions to the jury.

These three grounds of appeal were conceded by the State, and in an oral ruling given yesterday, Appeal Court judges, Justices of Appeal Paula Mae-Weekes, Alice Yorke-Soo Hon and Mark Mohammed held that it was regrettable that the trial judge fell into grave error during his directions to the jury. After considering whether to order a retrial, the three appellate judges agreed that given that Jones had been put on trial twice (the first in 2008 having resulted in a hung jury and a retrial ordered) and had spent 12 years in custody awaiting trial, he would have served a substantial portion of any sentence of manslaughter imposed on him.