Defence declares Ninjaman 'should never have been tried'

Lawyers for convicted murderer Desmond ‘Ninjaman’ Ballentine yesterday argued before the Court of Appeal that his case “should never have been tried”, claiming that years of delay deprived him of key defence witnesses and rendered the proceedings unfair. Attorney Robert Fletcher, who represents Ninjaman, said the more-than-eight-year delay before trial created “presumptive prejudice” because witnesses who could have assisted the defence died before they could testify.

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