The judge presiding at the Bill Henham murder trial has told the jury to resume its deliberations on Monday (21 February) after Storm Eunice has subsided.
Sir John Cavanagh, known as Mr Justice Cavanagh, adjourned the case after the Met Office raised the alert level from an amber wind warning to red.
The official forecaster also warned that the storm presented a risk to life and people have been advised not to travel unless necessary.
It is not the first delay to affect the trial which started in November and has been held up because of coronavirus infections and related restrictions.
The jury went out at 1.14pm yesterday (Thursday 17 February) and were sent home at 4.12pm after almost three hours of deliberations.
Four men are on trial accused of murdering 24-year-old Mr Henham at a squat in North Street, Brighton, on New Year’s Day 2020. They are
- Gregory Hawley, 29, formerly of Poynings Drive, Hove, and North Road, Brighton
- Lamech Gordon-Carew, 20, of Cheeseman Close, Hampton, Richmond Upon Thames
- Alize Spence, 18, of Makepeace Road, Northolt, London
- Dushane Meikle, 28, of Amberley Drive, Hove, and formerly of Belvedere Terrace, Brighton
…
All four men deny murder.
The court was told that Mr Henham was beaten in a room referred to as the “torture room” before his body was dragged away and dumped in an outside recess below.
Forensic evidence linked Hawley, Gordon-Carew, Spence and Meikle to the deadly attack.
James Mulholland, prosecuting, told the jury at the start of trial: “After the attack, those involved in the assault showed a significant degree of forensic awareness as they attempted to cover their tracks.
“An examination of the inner door of the first-floor room where Mr Henham had been injured revealed attempts had been made to clean it.
“The prosecution case is that each defendant either joined in the physical attack upon William Henham or deliberately helped or encouraged one or more of the others to do so.
“And that each, as they did so, intended that he be caused, at least, really serious injury and that they are all guilty of murder.”
