When Jamaica-born international reggae superstar Buju Banton was convicted of cocaine trafficking in 2011, his fans around the world were devastated. Many believed that the dreadlocked Mark Anthony Myrie was the victim of a cowboy trial, instigated by the hidden hand of the gay and lesbian community because of his well-known opposition to same-sex relationships.

They have since then stood behind Banton, encouraging him to appeal his 10-year sentence while always hoping that a break will come one day soon that will eventually lead to his freedom and his permanent move back to his native Jamaica. From the latest court reports, there is optimism that he might indeed receive a new trial following reports that one of the 12 jurors might have engaged in illegal conduct during the trial.

The Jamaica Observer reported last week that Judge James Moody plans to expand a probe into allegations of possible juror misconduct following allegations that a female juror might have been influenced by material she had found on the Internet relating to some aspects of the case. This, said Kwame Lumumba, one of the attorneys representing Banton, was contrary to a mandate from the judge when the trial was at its peak.

“The judge reserved his judgment and decided to expand the hearing as he needs more proof. We think that it was compelling that it was expanded and it gives us hope,” the paper quotes Lumumba as saying.

The gay and lesbian community has never hidden its disdain, if not open hatred, of Banton because of the lyrics in one of his more popular releases, “Boom Bye Bye Inna Batty Bwoy,” condemning men for having sex with men. His native Jamaica is known to be one of the most homophobic societies on the globe.

Hope that the superstar will emerge victorious also lies in the fact that Moody ordered marshals to seize computers belonging to the offending juror to check her research history and to see if she had been in contact with people outside the court environment. A few other jurors have already spoken to police, and at least one of them did recall hearing a conversation about the unauthorized research and the case.

“We had a tape that proved she did carry out misconduct. We called in three other jurors. They came in independently. One did recall that there was a conversation occurring in the jury room between a female and two male jurors with respect to the misconduct,” the attorney said.