KULANDRA RATNESER

The lawyer who successfully prosecuted Smith has a long history of handling major fraud cases.

The 73-year-old was Acting Director of the Department of Public Prosecutions when he first became involved in the case in 2003. He continued to work on it as a consultant after Vinette Graham Allen was appointed DPP.

An Australian citizen, born in Sri Lanka, he was called to the English Bar in 1963. During his career he has worked as Crown counsel in Sri Lanka, Director of Public Prosecutions in Belize and Legal Assistant to the Director of Public Prosecutions in London.

He also worked as the Director of Public Prosecutions in Fiji, before taking on a number of high-profile positions in Australia that saw him spend some years prosecuting many of the major fraud cases arising there.

He came to Bermuda as Senior Counsel and Head of the Commercial and Civil Litigation Department at Lynda Milligan-Whyte and Associates.

Mr. Ratneser was already over the constitutionally imposed age limit when he was appointed to the position of Acting DPP by Governor Sir John Vereker in 2003.

He said that the Smith trial is likely to be his last major case.

?I found I was getting physically very tired during this trial,? he admitted.

Nonetheless, he has no intention of hanging up his wig and gown for a quiet life just yet.

?I will no longer be involved as a Consultant to the DPP but I am not sure what I will be doing next.

?Possibly I might still be working in some other arm of government,? he revealed.

NICOLE R. SMITH

Ms Smith worked on the case for the Crown as Mr. Ratneser?s junior. She was called to the bar of Bermuda on June 24 last year having attended a two-year law programme at the University of Kent and spent time at the Inns of Court.

As a pupil barrister, she assisted Mr. Ratneser during the trial of lawyer Julian Hall last March and April. She has been working with him since last summer on the Smith case ? her first Supreme Court case since being called to the bar. It is one that she describes as a rewarding professional experience.

She said: ?When Mr. Ratneser told me I would be taking witnesses I was elated to know he trusted in my ability. I knew if he said that I could do nothing more than believe in myself a little bit more and trust myself. It?s important to empower people by showing that you trust them.

?I?m not being arrogant but I was not nervous when I had to present the witnesses. Preparation is key and Mr. Ratneser really listens to you and considers what you have to say, which is excellent.?

Ms Smith added: ?I really found this a rewarding case. It?s interesting subject matter and one of public interest. It goes to the heart of Bermuda. We have a housing crisis on our hands and it?s a timely issue which affects the concerns of every Bermudian.?

She told The Royal Gazette she was extremely grateful for the help that the Police have given the DPP during the case, particularly Det. Sgts. Grant Tomkins and James Hoyt and Constable Michael Hayles.

LARRY SCOTT

Well known for his flamboyant style in court, Smith?s defence lawyer Larry Scott is no stranger to controversy.

He recently hit the headlines with his outspoken remarks about underage sex.

His claims that a 14-year-old girl made pregnant by a 27-year-old may have enjoyed ?one of the most pleasurable experiences of her life? earned him a reprimand from Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons who said his comments were ?scandalous.?

Mr. Scott, 59, was born in the Bronx area of New York of Bermudian parentage.

He has lived in Bermuda since he was three months old and was educated on the Island.

The brother of PLP Telecommunications Minister Michael Scott, he spent a spell working as an executive officer for the UBP before spending five years as a Senator. Having previously qualified as an attorney at the Norman Manley Law School, Jamaica, in 1996, he began his law career after the UBP was voted out of government in 1998.

He opened a law firm in Somerset with brother Michael before striking out on his own to set up his current firm in Hamilton, keeping the name Scott and Scott.

?I?ve always wanted to do this kind of criminal litigation work and I think I?ve been reasonably successful at it,? he told The Royal Gazette.

KENRICK JAMES

Mr. James, 54, assisted Larry Scott on the defence case. He was a Police officer for almost 30 years. Before turning to a law career, he worked in the Police Prosecutions Department, where he was in charge from 1995 to 1998. During this period, he obtained a law degree from the University of London.

He was called to the Bar in April, 2005 and has his own law firm, James and Associates.