Murder victim's mother 'shocked' at killer's potential reduced sentence
The mother of child killer Ze Selassie’s victim has reacted with horror to the news he could get out of prison seven years earlier than his original 35-year term.The Court of Appeal ruled last week that Selassie should become eligible for parole after 28 years, a reduction to the minimum term imposed by the Chief Justice in 2009, after he was convicted of the premeditated murder of 14-year-old Rhiana Moore.Rhiana’s mother Juliann Moore told The Royal Gazette yesterday: “My family and I were flabbergasted, shocked and outraged to learn of this reduced sentence.” Ms Moore said she had nothing further to add.Her daughter was stabbed 18 times by Selassie in May 2008 when she was about seven months pregnant with his child.He lured her from a church youth group before killing her and dumping her body in the sea.Selassie, now 35, had previously been convicted of offences against women, including the rape of a female acquaintance for which he was sentenced to six years in jail. He served two years for that crime before being released on parole.After Selassie was convicted of killing Rhiana, Chief Justice Richard Ground sentenced him to life imprisonment, the statutory penalty for premeditated murder, with a 35-year minimum term.Selassie’s lawyer John Perry QC appealed the length of that tariff and the Court of Appeal agreed in its ruling last week it ought to be shorter.The panel of judges did not explain why they reduced the term but stated: “Having considered all the circumstances of the case, it is difficult to imagine a worse case of callous premeditated murder of one person by another, with the added factor that she was killed to prevent her giving birth to her unborn child.“We have come to the conclusion that a period of 28 years before the appellant is eligible for release on licence would meet the justice of the case. To that extent the appeal against sentence is allowed.”