Noel Maitland feels strongly about innocence - Convicted cop to be sentenced this Friday

Convicted policeman Noel Maitland is already setting his sights on the next legal battleground.

His attorney, Christopher Townsend, says Maitland strongly maintains his innocence and is prepared to take the fight to the Court of Appeal -- and possibly the Judicial Committe of the Privy Council.

"The war is not on March 13th, that has to do with dealing with this battle and the repercussions of it, but there is still the Court of Appeal that he has an interest in, and, if necessary, the Privy Council. He feels very strongly about his innocence," Townsend told THE STAR.

Maitland was found guilty of murder in the death of his girlfriend, social media influencer Donna-Lee Donaldson, who was reported missing in July 2022.

During the trial, the prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, arguing that it formed an unbroken chain pointing to Maitland as the only person who could have caused Donaldson's death.

Prosecutors alleged that Donaldson was killed at Maitland's apartment in St Andrew, after which her body was disposed of. Despite extensive searches, Donaldson's body has not been found, but the prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including CCTV footage and phone data, during the high-profile trial. A jury eventually found Maitland guilty of murder and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.

Looking ahead to the sentencing, Townsend said his expectation is that Justice Pusey will "assess the circumstances of the case, set a watermark from which it is that he's going to look at the circumstances ... and find a just middle ground as all judges now do in relation to sentencing, in accordance with the sentencing guidelines".

Townsend said the Crown usually raises aggravating factors in sentencing submissions.

"Certainly, if it is at the Crown points or aggravating factors, I'll be addressing them to say whether or not they are aggravating factors. But certainly under the circumstances the court may look at its own set of factors, even those that are not pointed out or not raised by counsel on either side to determine whether or not those factors are aggravating or not," he said.

Among the aggravating factors the court could consider is that Donaldson's body has never been recovered, leaving her family without closure. The court may also examine the circumstances surrounding the disposal of the body and Maitland's conduct after Donaldson was reported missing. When asked about potential mitigating factors, Townsend declined to outline them publicly.

"It would be remiss of me to engage in them now for public consumption. Certainly I would be jumping the gun and of course dealing with a matter that is still before the court, which is improper," he said.

Townsend also pointed out that comparisons with Silvera's case have limitations because the two matters fall under different legal categories.

"You have to remember that they are two different cases so the sentences are also different. What you can ask for on one end you can't ask for in the other and as it relates to the sentencing for murder it is primarily governed by statute, the latitude that judges have as it relates to the time served before parole," he explained.