The mother of murder victim Rebecca Middleton has welcomed Tuesday's stabbing conviction of Justis Smith - the man acquitted of killing her daughter in 1996.

Smith, 25, of Sunset Mews, Pembroke, was found guilty of stabbing Shanae Outerbridge, 21, in Dockyard last February and faces a maximum five years in jail when he is sentenced on October 1.

Smith had been accused of killing of 17-year-old Canadian tourist Rebecca Middleton at Ferry Reach seven years ago.

She had been tortured and raped before being stabbed and left to die of multiple stab wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen.

But at the 1998 trial Puisne Judge Vincent Meerabux ordered the case against Smith be dropped for lack of evidence.

The court of appeal ordered a re-trial after saying Smith could have been at the murder scene and been the principal killer.

But Britain's Privy Council, the highest court of appeal for Bermuda, said the Crown could only appeal on matters of law.

Kirk Mundy was jailed for five years for being an accessory after the fact.

Yesterday Rebecca's mother, Cindy Bennett was asked about her reaction to Smith's conviction for the Dockyard stabbing.

She contrasted the maximum sentence for Smith's offence with the sentence handed out to Mundy.

She told The Royal Gazette: "Justis Smith gets a possible five years for this assault and Kirk Mundy gets five years for accessory to murder?

"I don't think there is any kind of comparison, how can you justify this?

"It doesn't make sense but then I haven't had a lot of faith in the Bermuda justice system since I went there for Rebecca's trial in 1998.

"It's Bermuda's law, it's Bermuda's justice, they will do whatever they want to do.

"I can be glad to see anyone in prison if they stabbed someone and they are convicted for it."