The Janice Allen case in which the young girl's mother, Millicent Forbes, is seeking to have a jury's not-guilty verdict quashed, is heading for the United Kingdom-based Privy Council.

On Monday, the Court of Appeal granted Forbes leave to appeal against its earlier ruling, dismissing her appeal.

In April 2000, 13-year-old Janice Allen was shot dead at her gate in Trench Town, St. Andrew. The police reported then that she was shot in crossfire between the police and gunmen.

Police Constable Rohan Allen (no relation to the girl) was charged with murder. He was freed in the Portland Circuit Court in March 2004. The jury was directed to return a formal verdict of not guilty after the court was informed that a policeman who was a vital witness in the case was off the island and was not returning. It later turned out that the information was false. Forbes, who is backed by the lobby group Jamaicans For Justice, has been trying since then to have the jury's verdict set aside so that there can be a re-trial.

The Court of Appeal, in dismissing Forbes' appeal in December last year, upheld a ruling by the Judicial Review Court that the acquittal was not open to judicial review. The court then called for urgent legislation to be passed to deal with tainted acquittals.