Nine men who were separately convicted for murder and have been sentenced to face the death penalty will likely be resentenced during the October Assizes.
Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Christopher Nelson told GRENADA TODAY that the sentences which were mandatory death sentences have since been deemed as being unconstitutional.
Nelson said that upon application by the nine men, the Privy Council ordered that they be resentenced, and given an opportunity to mitigate the death sentences.
Among the nine are Donaldson Knight, Benedict Jacob, and Jerry Date.
While he did not want to speculate what sentences the men are likely to receive, Nelson said that using the guidelines of the court in resentencing others whose death sentences became unconstitutional he believes some of them will only spend a few more years incarcerated.
"The court now has to consider all the circumstances and give a sentence that is appropriate to the circumstances", he said.
"It is still open to the court to give a sentence as high as life. So some of these persons, if the circumstances warrant, could receive a life sentence", he added.
Nelson ruled out the possibility of the court delivering new death sentences on the prisoners who are in safe keeping at the Richmond Hill prison.
The time, he said has since elapsed for anything of the sort to happen.
The DPP felt that there ought to be no cause for concern upon the men's release.
"I don't think there should be any cause or need for alarm (by the General Public). These cases would be dealt with as all the other murder cases have been dealt with since the decision of Hughes and Spens. So it is just that these persons will now have the treatment outlined in Hughes and Spens," Nelson said.
