Lee Sweeting (Appellant) v The King (Respondent) (The Bahamas)

Case summary

Case ID

JCPC/2025/0057

Jurisdiction

Bahamas

Parties

Appellant(s)

Lee Sweeting

Respondent(s)

The King

Issue

Did the Court of Appeal err in dismissing the appellant’s application for an extension of time to appeal against the sentence imposed on him by the trial judge?

Facts

On 10 April 2019, the appellant was convicted of the murder of his father, which occurred on 24 November 2017. On 8 August 2019, the judge imposed a sentence of forty-five years on the appellant (minus the time the appellant had spent on remand while awaiting trial). The appellant sought to appeal his sentence on the grounds that it is unduly harsh and that the judge failed to order a psychiatric report. However, the appellant failed to appeal his sentence within the time limited for doing so. Accordingly, the appellant sought to apply for leave to extend the period of time in which to appeal. Having heard submissions from the parties in relation to this application, the Court of Appeal refused the appellant’s application for an extension of time and affirmed the sentence imposed by the judge. The appellant now seeks permission to appeal to His Majesty in Council.

Date of issue

30 June 2025

Case origin

PTA

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