A major Barbados Supreme Court case has resulted in a rare court order, where a surety has been ordered to surrender her full $50,000 bail bond after the defendant she bonded for skipped town during a high-profile murder trial. The defendant, Jason Layne, a resident of Leadvale, Christ Church, was ultimately found guilty in absentia last week of the 2020 fatal shooting of his brother, Anthony ‘Bubba’ Layne.
On Monday, Francina Layne, Jason Layne’s mother and the guarantor for his bail, appeared before Justice Carlisle Greaves in the Supreme Court’s No. 3 courtroom. There, the judge formally issued the order demanding she forfeit the entire $50,000 security she posted to secure her son’s release ahead of trial. Senior Counsel Andrew Pilgrim represented Francina Layne in the court proceedings on Monday.
The trial stretched over multiple weeks, with a 12-member jury hearing exhaustive evidence from both the prosecution and defense teams. Jason Layne, who had been granted bail ahead of the guilty verdict, failed to appear back in court after a scheduled break, prompting judges to move forward with the trial without his presence. Following closing arguments and Justice Greaves’ official summation of the case, the jury entered deliberations and returned a guilty verdict in just one hour.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that the convicted murderer left Barbados on October 4, and an active nationwide arrest warrant has been issued for his apprehension. Justice Greaves has scheduled the formal sentencing hearing for December 4, which will proceed even with Layne at large.
The prosecution team was led by Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Krystal Delaney, supported by acting Senior State Counsel Anastacia McMeo-Boyce and State Counsel Kwame Ramsay. Jason Layne was represented throughout the trial by defense attorneys Lesley Cargill-Straker and Kristin Vanderpool.