Privy Council Quashes Washington’s Conviction
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the UK has formally quashed Julian Washington’s conviction for murder and attempted murder.
A spokesperson said,, “To secure Julian’s conviction, the prosecution in Bermuda relied upon the testimony of a DNA expert at trial. The jury were told Julian’s DNA was found on bullet casings recovered from the scene. In his appeal to the Privy Council, The Death Penalty Project obtained fresh evidence to challenge the DNA expert’s testimony.”
Parvais Jabbar, Co-Executive Director of The Death Penalty Project said: “Julian’s case has exposed a problem at the heart of the criminal justice system in Bermuda. Whilst we are delighted that Julian has been publicly vindicated, this is not an isolated incident. There will be more cases in which flawed DNA evidence was used at trial. An urgent independent review is needed to quickly and effectively determine the scale of the problem and remedy further miscarriages of justice.”
Julian Washington said: “I feel a sense of victory tempered with the bitterness of injustice. The process that led to my wrongful conviction, the flawed evidence and biased testimony that sealed my fate, is a scar that may never fully heal. The wounds of the legal battle run deep, leaving behind a trail of pain, stress, and trauma that lingers in my soul. The pain, stress, and trauma that spread throughout the courtroom affected not just myself, but the families inside the court room as well.”
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