Bout Dat Xperience

THE killers of Aston shooting victims Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare are making a new bid for freedom after a European court ruling questioned the use of anonymous witnesses. The case of Marcus Ellis and Rodrigo Simms is to be re-examined by the European Court of Human Rights, which could deem their original trial unfair – paving the way for a fresh appeal against their 2005 murder convictions, which saw them caged for life. Defence lawyers claim they did not have a fair trial because a key witness – a convicted robber using the pseudonym Mark Brown – was allowed to give crucial evidence against them. In an unprecedented move – which according to Ellis’ barrister defied ‘1,000 years of common law in this country’ – Mr Brown was allowed to testify behind a curtain and had his voice electronically distorted. During the murder trial at Leicester Crown Court, the jury heard how Mr Brown was paid thousands of pounds in police payments to help protect him after he...