Llewellyn explains 15-year sentence for Crystal Towers murder

Following public backlash Director of Public Prosecutions, Paula Llewellyn has sought to explain the rationale behind the 15-year sentence for the man who killed his pregnant girlfriend at her Crystal Towers apartment in St Andrew.

On Friday, Phillip Brown was given the 15-year sentence after he chose to make use of the Government’s offer of a reduced sentence for a guilty plea.

The sentence has been criticised as being too short for the crime committed.

However, Llewellyn explains that Brown pleaded not guilty to murder and guilty to manslaughter and as a result it was the lesser charge on which he was sentenced.

Speaking on Beyond the Headlines on Radio Jamaica yesterday, Llewellyn further explained that even if the case had gone to trial, there was a possibility that he would have been found guilty of manslaughter and not murder.

She says this is because of his defence of provocation.

In addition, Llewellyn says if the case had gone to trial and the jury was not directed to also consider manslaughter, there could have been problems on appeal.

According to prosecutors, Brown used a blunt object to beat his pregnant ex-girlfriend Kerry-Ann Wilson to death before attempting to dump her body into a gully.

He managed to escape but later surrendered to police and gave a confession statement to investigators.