Press Release: Murder Conviction Quashed by CoA
Anon Poster
PRESS RELEASE
To: SLI MEDIA SERVICES
From: GIOVANNI DI STEFANO
Date: March 27, 2004
Re: COURT OF APPEAL QUASH MURDER CONVICTION OF STEFAN WILLIAMS AND
THE DENNIS BROTHERS
STEFAN WILLIAMS MURDER CONVICTION QUASHED BY COURT OF APPEAL
On the 29 December 1999 at the Boulevard Night Club in Ealing, London
Mr Oba Babatunde was murdered. In the club that evening were STEFAN
WILLIAMS, KEVIN/DESMOND and CARL DENNIS together with ONYI ANYADO and
ZAKARIAS MEHTA.
At approx. 1.45am the lights were turned on in the club and people
started to make their way out. A fight broke out in the lobby and
Williams walked through it to the front doors getting hit in the face
by accident. He had a little blood in his mouth and lost a capped
tooth but was not seriously hurt. He didn't want anything to do with
the fight and waited out side for his friends.
The fight in the lobby involved Babatunde Oba (Tunde). He was beaten
quite badly and stabbed 9 times. A doorman, John Richardson, was also
stabbed twice in the torso region but not seriously. Tunde died of
multiple injuries the next day.
While waiting for his friends outside Williams heard a gun shot but
did not see in what direction it came from or who fired it.
He was arrested on the 18th January 2000 at Streatham Police Station
and charged with murder.
WILLIAMS was interviewed twice. Once on the 19th January 2000 and
again on the 8th July 2000. He always maintained that he saw the
fight at the club but walked through it and waited outside.
On the 18 December 2000 the three DENNIS brothers and STEFAN WILLIAMS
was convicted of murder at the Central Criminal Court. The Crown
relied upon an expert witness who stated that in the CCTV images taken
at the club STEFAN WILLIAMS was holding a knife.
On Wednesday 4 June 2003 the DENNIS brothers obtained permission to
appeal the conviction for murder on the basis that the Crown could no
longer rely upon the expert witness who had testified regarding video
imagery. In a most proper manner the Court of Appeal invited STEFAN
WILLIAMS to join the appeal if he so desired or thought appropriate.
January 2004 as a result of the BBC Programe on Avv. Giovanni Di
Stefano of Studio Legale Internazionale, STEFAN WILLIAMS elected to
write to Mr Di Stefano seeking assistance. Upon reading the transcript
of the appeal hearing:
No: 200100339/Z4-200103208/Z4-200103209/Z4
IN THE COURT OF APPEAL
CRIMINAL DIVISION
Royal Courts of Justice
Strand
London, WC2
Wednesday, 4th June 2003
B E F O R E:
LORD JUSTICE MANCE
MR JUSTICE MACKAY RECORDER OF BIRMINGHAM (Acting as a Judge of CACD)
- - - - - - -
R E G I N A
-v-
CARL DENNIS
KEVIN JASON DENNIS
DESMOND DENNIS
- - - - - - -
Tape Transcript of
Smith Bernal Wordwave Limited
190 Fleet Street London EC4A 2AG
Tel No: 020 7404 1400 Fax No: 020 7831 8838
(Official Shorthand Writers to the Court)
- - - - - - -
MR M LAHIFFE appeared on behalf of the APPELLANT C DENNIS
MR T OWEN QC appeared on behalf of the APPELLANT K DENNIS
MR K MCDONALD QC appeared on behalf of the APPELLANT D DENNIS
MR P GRIEVES-SMITH appeared on behalf of the CROWN
- - - - - - -
PROCEEDINGS
And more specifically:
LORD JUSTICE MANCE: As regards Williams, we cannot make an order.
What we can do is, firstly, you have to make an application, it has to
be consistent in the ordinary way. I think we might take some steps
to ensure that it is accelerated he has to make an application after
considering whether he needs to do so.
27. The most we can do is all indicate that this matter should
come back within some time limit to be reviewed in the light of any
application he makes. (Pause)
28. LORD JUSTICE MANCE: It may well be that the Registrar - yes,
we have not a shorthand writer in Court, presumably it is being
transcribed. The master tape. We ought to have a shorthand writer,
but I think she is going to miss most of what has been said.
29. It may well be that the Registrar may consider it appropriate
to refer this direct to the Full Court, if there is application by
Williams. We cannot prejudge anything that he decides. All we can do
is simply encourage the matter to get on. Realistically speaking if
we directed that it come back in six weeks time that would give
Williams enough time to get any advice and to submit any documentation
to the Registrar. If we direct any shorter period, it seems to me it
would be enough time.
30. So what we say is that this matter should be adjourned to come
back in six weeks time, subject to further order and you will give
this disclosure package to Stephen or Stephen Williams at the same
time.
- - - - - - -
Acting pro bono in the matter and evidencing a clear miscarriage of
justice both Studio Legale Internazionale and Paul Martin & Co
Solicitors assisted STEFAN WILLIAMS at short notice and instructed
David Martin Sperry of Counsel from Charter Chambers.
The Court of Appeal Criminal Division on 26 March 2004 presided by
Lord Justice Judge, Mr Justice Royce and Mr Justice Holland came to
the clear and inevitable conclusion that the convictions on all the
accused were unsafe and quashed the convictions for murder.
A retrial was ordered by the Court of Appeal on the strict basis that
the Crown would within 42 days clearly state the case against the
defendants and supply the full evidence it relied upon in support.
Applications for bail will be made within the next two weeks to a
judge of the Central Criminal Court.
STEFAN WILLIAMS stated upon hearing the news of his murder conviction
being overturned "I have always said I never did anything and I did
not murder or kill anyone that evening. I wish I had stayed at home.
Thank God there is justice after waiting more than four years I
thought it had passed me by."
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