Ninja Man murder case pushed to next year

The long awaited appeal hearing for veteran entertainer Desmond 'Ninja Man' Ballentyne and his two co convicts has hit another delay as the court works to settle legal representation for one of the men. The matter is now provisionally set for the week of March 23 next year.

The appeal, which was expected to start today and run for a full week of oral arguments, could not proceed because co convict Dennis Clayton is again without stable legal representation. His former attorney fell ill, and his new lawyer was only brought onto the case just days before the scheduled hearing, leaving little time to review what has been described as a large case file. One of the main issues to be argued is visual identification.

The case has also seen major changes in representation for the other appellants. Veteran attorney Valerie Neita Robertson, who had represented Ninja Man, died in February. Attorney Robert Fletcher has since taken over his defence.

Kings Counsel Peter Champagnie, who represents Ninja Man's son Janeil, said he was prepared to proceed but admitted that the realities of a multi accused appeal must be respected. He told The Gleaner that cases involving multiple appellants cannot be heard in pieces and that the delay, though disappointing, is understandable.

Ninja Man, his son, and Clayton were all sentenced to life in prison in 2017 for the 2009 murder of Ricardo Johnson. The sentences were handed down in the Home Circuit Court by Justice Martin Gayle in December 2017 after the trio were convicted in November for murder and shooting with intent.

Prosecutors led evidence that the killing came after a domestic altercation in the Lower Mall Road area of St Andrew. They said that a day after the dispute, the men returned with guns and other weapons, chased Johnson and another witness through a fence, and during the attack, shots were fired, hitting Johnson in the side.

We want to hear from you! Email us at star@gleanerjm.com and follow @thejamaicastar on Instagram and on X @JamaicaStar and on Facebook: @TheJamaicaStar, or on Whatsapp @ 876-550-250