A man regarded by many as Britain?s top black lawyer has been hired by one of the men accused of murdering the Cooper twins earlier this year.

The news broke in Magistrates? Court yesterday when Kenneth Jermaine Burgess? current lawyer, Michael Smith, asked Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo to postpone the scheduled preliminary inquiry to allow Courtney Griffiths QC to arrive in Bermuda to take over the case in the first week of August.

And despite objections from defence lawyer Victoria Pearman, who is representing the other accused, Dennis Alma Robinson, Mr. Tokunbo acceded to the request and rescheduled the matter to August 2.

Mr. Griffiths is renowned in the UK for winning many cases against the odds and made his name by securing the acquittal of one of the youths accused of murdering ten-year-old Damilola Taylor in the infamous 2002 Old Bailey trial.

Meanwhile, amid the customary high security, the two accused men were ushered into the courtroom sporting bullet-proof jackets and handcuffs, while a request from Ms Pearman to have the shackles removed from her client was denied.

At least seven Police officers stood in various positions around the courtroom while everybody entering was searched at the door.

Jahmal and Jahmil Cooper went missing in March, sparking a major Police search which lasted several weeks.

Their bludgeoned, decaying bodies were found at Abbot?s Cliff in Hamilton Parish on April 14.