No bail for Silvera after Appeal Court hearing
Published:Wednesday | June 4, 2025 | 12:09 AMTanesha Mundle/Staff Reporter
Former People’s National Party (PNP) lawmaker Jolyan Silvera will remain behind bars after the Court of Appeal upheld a previous ruling denying him bail in relation to the murder of his wife, Mellissa Silvera.
Silvera, 52, who has been behind bars since January 2024, appeared before the Court of Appeal on Tuesday. However, the court declined to overturn the Supreme Court’s earlier decision, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the strength of the Crown’s case.
Justice Vivene Harris, presiding over the matter, indicated that there was no compelling reason to disturb the ruling of the Supreme Court judge. Central to the court’s reasoning was the alleged use of a firearm in the commission of the offence and the evidentiary weight of the Crown’s submissions.
Silvera’s legal team, led by King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie and attorney-at-law Patrice Riley, had submitted an independent ballistic report in support of the bail application. However, Harris dismissed its impact, stating that the report amounted to “just an opinion,” no more conclusive than the Crown’s forensic findings.
According to police reports, Mellissa Silvera, 42, was found dead at the couple’s residence in Stony Hill, St Andrew, on November 10, 2023. Initial reports suggested that she died of natural causes. However, a post-mortem conducted weeks later revealed that she had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Three bullet fragments were reportedly recovered from her body.
The Crown, represented by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Dwayne Green, has maintained that the evidence points squarely to Silvera’s involvement in his wife’s killing.
In the meantime, the matter is set for a trial readiness hearing on September 25, 2025, with the trial scheduled to commence on January 12, 2026.