“Oooooh… tell me more!”
While this sounds like a discarded line from an episode of USA’s Silk Stalkings, this is unfortunately something an actual judge said in an actual case that resulted in a 35 year sentence for murder.
Judge Carlisle Greaves, who has since retired, made the remarks during the trial of Khyri Smith-Williams for the 2011 killing of Colford Ferguson. As Legal Cheek tells us, citing a Royal Gazette report, this all came to light in an appeal brought by Smith-Williams challenging the conviction on the grounds that the judge acted inappropriately.
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The remark came while a witness explained that he had shared former sex partners with the defendant. On appeal, appellate judge Sir Maurice Kay delivered the understatement of the century:
In particular, his comment ‘all this sex is beginning to get me horny’ was inappropriate and inimical to the dignity of court proceedings.
The attorney for Smith-Williams raised more concerns about the testimony this specific witness got away with:
Lynch also raised concerns over how Greaves conducted himself during Harris’ evidence, arguing he had not done enough to “censure” Harris’ use of inappropriate language. In transcripts submitted to the court, Harris swears repeatedly and refers to other people involved in the case as “f*****t” and “f***ing p***y”.
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Ultimately, the court upheld the conviction, determining that the language was just a byproduct of “serious criminal trials” in Bermuda involve judges conducting hearings “in an informal way, often using casual language and rich metaphors” and that the judge’s bid to turn the trial into a snuff film review didn’t impact the case. At the risk of further triggering Judge Greaves, the latter’s a little hard to swallow. It’s hard to have much confidence in a the solemnity of a murder trial when judges are cracking jokes about key witness testimony. Night Court was a comedy because it was a steady stream of solicitation cases — Harry Stone juggling wouldn’t have played as well if he guest starred on Law & Order.
Even if the remark was a harmless error vis a vis the result, Bermuda should redo the trial to repair any doubts over the sanctity of its judicial system.
And, yes, I realize Judge Greaves is snickering “you said tittie.”
Bermuda judge criticised for saying murder trial was making him ‘horny’ [Legal Cheek]
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.