Marian Walters following her sentence, August 31, 2011

Photo Credit: Melissa Edwards/BVI Platinum News

Marian Walters following her sentence, August 31, 2011

Photo Credit: Melissa Edwards/BVI Platinum News

There are at least three criminal cases listed for hearing during the sitting of the Court of Appeal which takes place next week.

Winston Blackette and Derek Cort who were convicted in separate sex offences in 2010 and 2011 respectively, are seeking to have their convictions quashed, while Marian Walters has appealed her sentence for cocaine possession.

Walters, 34, a native of Jamaica who has a United States passport and resides in New York, was nabbed at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on April 27, 2011 with 2.08 kilos of cocaine, worth some US$208,000.

Former Senior Magistrate Valerie Stephens sentenced the woman, who had pleaded guilty, to five years in prison for unlawful importation of cocaine and reprimanded and discharged her on the unlawful possession of cocaine charge.

In relation to the sex cases, following a trial on June 30, 2011, a nine member jury unanimously found Blackette guilty of five counts of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 years. He was sentenced to four years in prison by former resident Judge, Madame Rita Joseph-Olivetti.

The girl was 13 years old at the time of the incident in 2009 and Blackette was 25 years old.

In May 2010, a nine member jury unanimously found Cort guilty of raping his ex-girlfriend on August 6, 2008 at her Virgin Gorda apartment. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison by former resident Judge, Madame Indra Hariprashad-Charles.

Meanwhile, there are a number of civil matters set to be heard.