Hunt attack court case postponed (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Hunt attack court case postponed

4:37pm Wednesday 17th September 2008 in News By Standard reporter

THE trial of rock star Bryan Ferry's son, Otis, on robbery and assault charges was dramatically stopped today and the jury discharged.

At Gloucester crown court sitting in Cirencester Judge Martin Picton declined to give the jury any reasons for his decision to abandon the trial and adjourn the case for at least four weeks.

Huntsman and countryside campaigner Charles Frederick Otis Ferry, 25, of Cross Hands, Eaton Mascot, Shropshire, allegedly attacked a hunt monitor and robbed another while they tried to film him at his sport.

He was riding with the Heythrop Hunt at Lower Swell, near Stow on the Wold, on November 21 last year when the alleged offences occurred.

A jury had been sworn in on Monday at the Cirencester Courthouse but has since then been excluded from court during legal submissions from defence barrister Philip Lucas and prosecutor Kerry Barker.

Today the judge summoned the jury back into court and told them they were being discharged.

Judge Picton told the court the trial would be re-listed in around four weeks, on a date to be fixed.

He said he was not prepared to explain the reasons behind the adjournment in open court.

The charges Mr Ferry had denied were of robbing Helen Ghalmi of a Samsung video camera belonging to Susan Grima on November 21 at Lower Swell and of common assault on Ms Ghalmi.