IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF BELIZE, A. D. 2014
Criminal Appeal No. 21 of 2012
LAVERN LONGSWORTH
Appellant v THE QUEEN
Respondent
______
BEFORE:
The Hon. Mr. Justice Dennis Morrison
The Hon. Mr. Justice Samuel Awich
The Hon. Madam Justice Minnet Hafiz-Bertram
Justice of Appeal
Justice of Appeal
Justice of Appeal
G. P. Smith S. C. along with L. Mendes for the appellant
C. Vidal S.C., Director of Public Prosecutions, along with S. Smith for the respondent ______
10, 21 and 27 June, and
7 November
2014
HAFIZ-BERTRAM JA
Introduction
[1]
On 15 July 2010, Lavern Longsworth (‘the appellant’)
threw some kind of
accelerant on her common law husband, David White (‘the deceased’), and thereafter threw a lit candle at him. The deceased…show more content… 21 Castle Street, Belize City, with my common-law wife Lavern Longsworth, 33 years, date of birth 2 September
1974, Belizean … self-employed. On Thursday 15 July 2010, sometime after 8:00 pm myself and my common- law wife and my step-son, namely
James Moriera Jr., along with two other occupants, at this time I can’t remember their names, nor the young man name.
Myself and my
common-law wife was already in bed when my friend namely Carlos
Castro called for me. I went outside and speak to him for about two to three minutes. I went back inside. I ask my common-law Lavern to give me $10.00. She started an argument. She asked me why I had to wait till she is already in bed before I ask her for $10.00. So, I told her it is important, me and Carlos going to deal with something. She eventually got up and gave me the $10.00. I left the house and went across the street and I buy some drugs out of the $10.00. I went back inside the house, my common-law Lavern was sitting in the hall. I pass her and went
3
into the kitchen area which is separated by a curtain. I was in the process of smoking the drugs that I bought when I felt a shoe pass through the curtain and hit me in the back. After that I felt a pint bottle in my back.
My back was turn to the curtain area. Then I said to Lavern, babes hold that down. At that point she jump up and said, hold dat down, I wah kill you boy. Then I felt a liquid substance splash over me. Some of the