DUO CLEARED OF BAY CITY ROLLER ATTACK

Last updated: Saturday, January 17, 2009

DUO CLEARED OF BAY CITY ROLLER ATTACK

A father and son duo accused of attacking former BAY CITY ROLLERS star LES McKEOWN have been cleared of all charges following a mix-up with police evidence.

Les McKeown performing for Guilty Pleasures Live at the Hackney Empire. London, England - 20.03.07

Ian and Darren Young, 59 and 22 respectively, were accused of assaulting the 53-year-old former heart-throb in an east London pub in March 2007.

They were also facing charges of allegedly hurling racial abuse at McKeown's Japanese wife, Keiko.

The duo claim they acted in self defence after the musician attacked them with a wrench.

But the trial at London's Snaresbrook Crown Court collapsed this week (beg11Jan09) after it was revealed that key pieces of evidence, the wrench which was said to have been used in the incident and a blood-splattered jacket, were accidentally destroyed by police.

Detectives claim the pieces were not properly marked as trial evidence and were disposed of in accordance with storage rules.

Judge Nicholas Huskinson claimed the prosecution's case was "full of contradictions" after key witnesses backed the Youngs' story and after the evidence mishap was revealed, he instructed the jury to return not guilty verdicts to all charges.

He told the court, "It's not for the defence to have to prove they were acting in self-defence. It's for the prosecution to make the jury sure that the defendants were not acting in self-defence."

Source: WENN

| Saturday, January 17, 2009

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DUO CLEARED OF BAY CITY ROLLER ATTACK

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