Ninja Man is ‘mentally well’ ahead of appeal, says attorney

Attorney representing veteran dancehall deejay Desmond 'Ninja Man' Ballentine, Valerie Neita Robertson K.C., said the deejay is doing well mentally as he awaits his upcoming appearance at the local Court of Appeal.

In an interview with THE STAR, the attorney, while remaining tight-lipped about most details of the case, said that the artiste has been "hanging in there".

"He's finding stuff to do while he's there - his usual helping people and all a dat. Mentally he's okay, he's doing well. His friends and family [are] supporting him and he's keeping active," said Neita Robertson. The 'Don Gorgon' was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in November 2017 for the murder of Ricardo Johnson in March 2009. He was convicted along with his son, Janeil Ballentine, and Dennis Clayton. Ninja Man, who is known for his witty lyrical character in dancehall, was sentenced to serve at least 25 years in prison before he was eligible for parole.

During the murder trial, the artiste appeared to have suffered a mild heart attack which created uncertainty around the completion of the trial. However, after being whisked away to the Kingston Public Hospital, the deejay was said to be "okay" and taken back to the courtroom on the day.

Following the ruling in the Supreme Court, then Director of Public Prosecution, Paula Llewellyn, said "it was a difficult case".

"Circumstantial evidence cases are difficult cases. The Crown had to prove that there was a common design to cause serious bodily harm to Mr Johnson, and that in pursuant of this common design, all three were culpable," said Llewellyn.

"It was a hard fought case in terms of the law. It lasted about five weeks and you would have appreciated that with very experienced [defence] council of that quality that they would have given 150 per cent, but commendations to the prosecutions team, which stuck to its task," she added.

Earlier this year, the UK Privy Council quashed the murder conviction of deejay Vybz Kartel and three co-defendants. The case was handed back to the local appeal court and on July 31, the court decided against retrial and the men were freed of that charge. When asked about whether she had discussed going to the Privy Council with her client should the local appeal fail, Neita Robertson responded: "I have not discussed that matter with him." The attorney expressed confidence that justice will be served in the favour of the deejay as they awaits his upcoming court appearance.

In recent times, Ninja Man penned two letters to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, addressing what he considered the need for the rehabilitation of inmates in correctional institutions, and his willingness to take on the initiative as a 'man of peace' from behind the prison walls.However, he is anticipating that this fate will change in a few more weeks when he faces the court.