The guy in the newspaper article below was the Crown Counsel at the time, on the murder / rape case in Bermuda, of Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton, that resulted in a plea deal, before the DNA results had even come back, to a guy named Kirk Mundy, in exchange for his pleading guilty to being an accessory and agreeing to testify against the other suspect, a guy named Justis Smith.
When the DNA results came back, Smith’s DNA wasn’t found, but Mundy’s DNA was. But Mundy had already pleaded guilty to being an accessory so he could not be prosecuted for murder or rape because of the double jeopardy rule. Smith was acquitted on a directed verdict from the trial judge that there was insufficient evidence to put to the jury (a decision that the Privy Council in England described as “astonishing“) .
Human Rights lawyer Cherie Booth (wife of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair) unsuccessfully represented the Middleton family in their quest for justice before the Bermuda courts.
The administration of justice in Bermuda still remains below acceptable international standards. I should know. I’ve served as Senior Crown Counsel and as the acting Solicitor-General of Bermuda. A few years ago, the Bermuda Government refused permits to a Canadian film crew that was making a documentary about the crime citing “potential reputational risks to Bermuda.”