The Court of Appeal on Monday freed two men, who were convicted in 2005 of the murder of Veronica Bennett, shopkeeper, of Poor Man's Corner, near Yallahs, St Thomas.

Freed are Kevin Watson and Nickel Bailey, labourers, of Yallahs.

Watson was shot dead in her house about 8 p.m. on February 24, 2002.

The men were sentenced, in August 2005, to life imprisonment and the judge ordered they should serve 15 years' imprisonment each at hard labour before becoming eligible for parole.

Attorney-at-law Melrose Reid, who represented the men on appeal, argued that the trial judge should have upheld no-case submission made by attorneys-at-law Eme Usim (now deceased) and Ravil Golding.

Inconsistencies

Reid cited authorities and referred to inconsistencies in statements given by the sole eyewitness. She submitted that the eyewit-ness did not mention the two accused in a statement given to the police about a month after the incident, nor at the preliminary enquiry held some months after the homicide.

Reid also pointed out it was only at the trial in 2005, that the eyewitness said he saw the two men in the house.