The 2025 Court Year in Review
Published:Sunday | January 11, 2026 | 12:08 AMTanesha Mundle - Staff Reporter
The wheels of justice turned relentlessly in 2025, producing decisions that reshaped constitutional boundaries, tested the limits of state authority, and reaffirmed the judiciary’s role as guardian of the rule of law. From landmark constitutional rulings to high-profile corruption probes and emotionally charged criminal trials, Jamaica’s courts remained at the centre of some of the country’s most consequential disputes.
Across all levels of the judicial system, judges were called upon to balance public safety with civil liberties, political power with constitutional restraint, and punishment with fairness. Several rulings set new legal benchmarks, while others exposed weaknesses in investigations, sentencing practices, and the administration of justice.
Taken together, the legal developments of 2025 stand as both a reckoning and a road map, underscoring the courts’ enduring influence on governance, accountability, and public confidence in the justice system.
States of emergency declared unconstitutional
One of the year’s most far-reaching decisions came from the Constitutional Court, which ruled that multiple states of public emergency (SOEs) declared between 2018 and 2023 were unconstitutional, not demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society, and inconsistent with the Jamaican Constitution. The declarations spanned 15 dates, including January and March 2018, April 2019, June 2020, and February 2023.
In a sharp rebuke of that aspect of the Government’s crime-fighting strategy, the court also found that three “rolling proclamations” issued by the governor general in November and December 2022 breached the separation of powers by effectively bypassing Parliament’s role in extending emergency powers beyond the constitutionally permitted 14 days.
The case was brought by People’s National Party (PNP) General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell. The Government has appealed, warning that the ruling could weaken the State’s response to crises and expose it to lawsuits. The appeal is pending a hearing date.
Portmore parish law challenge
The Supreme Court ordered the Government to pause implementation of the Portmore parish law after finding that constitutional procedures had not been fully observed. The ruling arose from a challenge by the opposition PNP, which argued that granting parish status to Portmore violated Section 67 of the Constitution governing the process for adjusting constituency boundaries.
Chief Justice Bryan Sykes directed that the legislation not be brought into force until compliance with Section 67 is achieved.
The lawsuit was filed by St Catherine Southern MP Fitz Jackson, Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas, and councillors Claude Hamilton and Vanrick Preddie. Attorney General Dr Derrick McKoy and Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie were named as defendants.
Prime minister challenges Integrity Commission
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness and three associated corporate entities filed a judicial review and constitutional challenge against the Integrity Commission (IC) and two senior officials over a report into his financial affairs. The report alleged discrepancies in Holness’ statutory declarations and possible unexplained wealth.
Holness contended that the IC acted unlawfully and unfairly, and sought to strike out portions of the affidavit filed by the Integrity Commission’s director of information, which Holness argued were “scandalous, frivolous, and vexatious”. The judge also denied Holness’ request for access to certain redacted documents he claimed were critical to his defence.. The Supreme Court, however, granted leave to appeal. As a result, the substantive hearing, scheduled for October, was halted pending the appeal.
Spectrum Management Authority v Integrity Commission
The Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) and its managing director, Dr Maria Myers-Hamilton, successfully obtained leave for judicial review against the Integrity Commission (IC). They argued that notices and summons issued by the IC were unlawful and exceeded its powers in an investigation into alleged corruption and impropriety.
The court issued interim injunctions restraining the IC from acting on the disputed notices but declined to order the immediate return of seized documents. The matter is expected to be heard fully in 2026.
Sentencing and remand reform
In a historic ruling, the Court of Appeal held that time spent on pre-trial remand must be credited toward a prison sentence, even where a mandatory minimum applies. A nine-judge panel reduced Cecil Moore’s 15-year sentence for wounding with intent to 12 years and three months, accounting for 33 months spent on remand. The court found that failing to credit such time breached the constitutional right to liberty, setting an important precedent for future sentencing.
DPP demits office
In September, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn demitted office after 17 years, becoming the longest-serving DPP in Jamaica’s history. In her farewell, she urged her successor to “love the job”, acknowledging the demands of the role. Senior Deputy DPP Claudette Thompson was appointed to act and later confirmed as DPP, pledging to uphold integrity and public trust.
Ray Morgan’s sentence reduced
The Court of Appeal halved the 12-year sentence imposed on conman Ray Morgan, finding it manifestly excessive. The court ruled that consecutive sentences imposed by the parish court were improper and that Morgan’s constitutional right to have his appeal heard within a reasonable time had been breached. Though Morgan had already served the sentence, the ruling acknowledged a miscarriage of justice and highlighted serious procedural failings in the handling of his appeal.
SSL fraud fallout
Former Stocks & Securities Limited (SSL) client relationship manager Jean Ann Panton was remanded for trial on a 21-count indictment related to a suspected US$30-million fraud at the now-shuttered investment firm. The alleged victims include Usain Bolt’s company, Welljen Limited, which reportedly lost US$12.7 million.
In December, SSL founder Hugh Croskery, his daughter Sarah Meany, and former CEO Zachary Harding were arrested and charged with more than a dozen offences each, including fraud and operating a securities business without a licence. They were granted station bail and are to appear in court in January 2026.
Leoda Bradshaw’s murder case
United States Navy petty officer Leoda Bradshaw, the companion of legislator Phillip Paulwell, and her alleged accomplices who were arrested in the abduction and murder of the parliamentarian’s 10-month-old daughter, Sarayah Paulwell, and her 27-year-old mother, Toshyna Patterson, were remanded.
The mother and daughter were abducted from their St Andrew home on September 9, 2023 and allegedly taken to East Kingston where they were shot dead and their bodies burnt.
Bradshaw’s cousin, Roland Balfour, was also arrested, along with two other men – Roshane Miller and Richard Brown – who have since pleaded guilty to their role in the crime and were sentenced. A fifth person was later arrested.
INSPORTS fraud
Popular party promoter Andrew ‘French’ Wright, former INSPORTS financial controller, was sentenced in November to 10 years and seven months at hard labour for his role in a $222-million fraud scheme. His co-accused, O’Neil Hope and Rudolph Barnes, received five years and nine months and three years at hard labour, with all counts running concurrently.
Three former co-defendants were freed.
Minors given supervision orders
Two minors involved in a daylight robbery spree in Portland were given three-year supervision orders instead of prison, after being coerced by their mother and her boyfriend, while the adults were acquitted.
In a daylight robbery spree dating back to March 31, 2020, two underage siblings (then 13 and 12) were found guilty in the Portland Circuit Court of robbery with aggravation and illegal possession of a firearm after being taken along by their mother and her boyfriend to commit armed robberies.
A fifth co-accused – an adult male, who was caught with the firearm – received four months and six months, respectively, to run concurrently, while the mother and her boyfriend were found not guilty.
Ruel Reid fraud trial
The long-awaited multimillion-dollar fraud trial of former Education Minister Ruel Reid, former Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) President Fritz Pinnock, Reid’s wife Sharen Reid, their daughter Sharelle Reid, and Jamaica Labour Party Councillor Kim Brown Lawrence began in October 2025 after years of legal delays.
They face charges related to an alleged scheme to defraud the CMU and the Ministry of Education. The matter is expected to resume in February 2026.
Mario Deane case
Three police officers convicted in the 2014 death of Mario Deane were sentenced in 2025: Corporal Elaine Stewart received five years, while constables Marlon Grant and Juliana Clevon had suspended three-year terms, sparking public disappointment over the perceived leniency.
Ex-worker sentenced for murder of businessman
Shamar Clarke, 26, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 2018 strangling and death of missing businessman Jean-Pierre Rhone after luring him from his home and robbing him. The court described the crime as “truly horrendous”.
Court of Appeal quashed murder conviction over chief justice’s conduct
The court overturned Conroy Stephenson’s conviction following Chief Justice Bryan Sykes conduct in his trial. The judges concluded that while the jury’s verdict was not “palpably wrong”, based on the evidence, Sykes repeated intervention compromised the trial’s fairness.
Child molester’s sentence halved
The Court of Appeal reduced the prison term of a man convicted of raping his six-year-old niece and committing grievous sexual assault in 2017. His original 36-year sentence was found “manifestly excessive” and in breach of the totality principle, partly because the trial judge assumed, without evidence, that the child contracted STIs from the assaults. The court imposed concurrent sentences of 17 and a half and 16 years, with a 10-year minimum before parole, retroactive to 2018.
Juliet Holness’ company wins lawsuit, loses countersuit
Juliet Holness’ real estate company, JAJ Development and Holdings, won its lawsuit against a St Andrew landowner for the delivery of a title for the property on which an apartment complex is being built in Leas Flat.
Charlene Ashley, the landowner who sold the property to JAJ, also succeeded in a countersuit and was awarded $1 million in damages.
Slickianna’s murder accused killed
Rushawn Patterson, the man charged with the October 2022 murder of Aneka ‘Slickianna’ Townsend, was fatally shot by police in February 2025 during an alleged confrontation in Hanover. Patterson had been out on bail and awaiting trial, which had been repeatedly delayed because of incomplete case files, including outstanding forensic evidence and procedural matters.
Townsend’s body was discovered in the sea off Reading, St James in October 2022, and a post-mortem later confirmed she had been strangled.
Patterson’s death brought an abrupt end to the criminal proceedings against him, closing a chapter on a case that had drawn sustained public attention.
Butch Stewart will saga
The family feud over the multibillion-dollar estate of late hotel mogul Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart continued in the court and escalated, with executors seeking Jamaican Supreme Court authorisation to carry out an audit of the Adam Stewart-led ATL Group.
However, Adam and two of his siblings, Jaime Stewart McConnell and Brian Jardim – all children of Butch, have responded by asking the court to remove two of the executors – Butch’s personal lawyer, Trevor Patterson and his common-law widow, Cheryl Hamersmith-Stewart.