Jury Discharged In Birmingham National Action Trial

31 May 2019, 16:34

Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts

The jury in the trial of four people alleged to have been members of a banned neo-Nazi terrorist group has been discharged after failing to reach verdicts.

Alice Cutter, 22, and her fiance Mark Jones, 24, both of Sowerby Bridge, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, both denied being members of National Action following its ban, in December 2016.

Standing trial at Birmingham Crown Court alongside the pair, and facing the same charge, were Garry Jack, 23, of Heathland Avenue, Birmingham, and 18-year-old Connor Scothern, of Bagnall Avenue, Nottingham.

Jack and Scothern had also denied any wrong-doing.

The 11-member jury had been deliberating for more than 37 hours, but was unable to reach verdicts on any of the defendants.

Discharging the jurors, the Recorder of Birmingham Judge Melbourne Inman QC, thanked them for their hard work in a trial which had reached its 11th week.

Prosecution barrister Barnaby Jameson QC told the judge that the Crown would be seeking a retrial of all those involved.