Paula Vanessa Llewellyn CD KC is a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n lawyer who serves as the country's

director of public prosecutions The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members o ...

(DPP), in office since 2008. She is the first woman to hold the position.

Early life

Llewellyn was born at the

Victoria Jubilee Hospital Victoria Jubilee Hospital (initially known as the Victoria Jubilee Lying-In Hospital) was founded in 1891 and opened to the public in 1892 in Kingston, Jamaica. The current facility, the largest maternity hospital in the English-speaking Caribb ...

in Kingston, one of the four children of Mavis and Clinton Llewellyn; her mother was a nurse and her father was a realtor. She grew up in Pembroke Hall, a suburb in Kingston's north, attending St. George's Primary School and St. Hugh's High School. Llewellyn went on to the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

at Mona, attending the

Norman Manley Law School The Norman Manley Law School is a law school in Jamaica. Building and location The Norman Manley Law School is located on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, yet it is a distinct and separate institution. Its building, design ...

. She did her internship in

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

, but returned to Jamaica to take up a position as court clerk at the Saint James Parish magistrate's court, based out of

Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Por ...

. In 1986, Llewellyn became a

crown counsel Crown counsel are lawyers, generally in Common Law jurisdictions, who provide advice to the government and acts as prosecutors in cases. In various jurisdictions their title can vary and they could also be known as the Queen's Advocate, King's Advo ...

in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). She was made a deputy director in 1993, and senior deputy director in 1999.

Director of Public Prosecutions

In March 2008, Llewellyn was appointed director of public prosecutions – the first woman to hold the position. Unlike previous DPPs, who had been appointed simply on the recommendation of the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

, she had to apply through a competitive selection process administered by the Public Service Commission. Notable cases the ODPP has been involved with during her tenure include the murder trial of

Vybz Kartel Adidja Azim Palmer (born 7 January 1976), better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall recording artist, composer, record producer, and entrepreneur. Among his various nicknames, he is referred to as "Worl' Boss". As summarize ...

, the extradition of

Christopher Coke Christopher Michael Coke, also known as Dudus (born 13 March 1969), is a convicted Jamaican drug lord and the leader of the Shower Posse, a violent drug gang started by his father Lester Coke in Jamaica, which exported "large quantities" of mar ...

, and bribery charges against Trafigura Beheer.Paula Llewellyn: 'Kartel', 'Dudus', OCG, Richard Azan, Trafigura
''Jamaica Observer'', 23 March 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2017. She received death threats over the Kartel case, and was under police protection for a period. Llewellyn oversaw the publication of Jamaica's first ''Manual for Prosecutors'' in 2016, a "compilation of directives and guidelines that provide clear instruction and guidance to Jamaican prosecutors" based on similar publications in the UK and Canada. She has frequently criticised the Jamaican government for underresourcing her office and the justice system as a whole.DPP slaps successive gov'ts for justice system neglect
''Jamaica Observer'', 19 October 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Llewellyn, Paula Jamaican women lawyers People from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican Queen's Counsel University of the West Indies alumni Prosecutors general Commanders of the Order of Distinction Jamaican civil servants Jamaican women civil servants