THE trial of a man accused of murdering an Essex sixth form student was halted today and the jury discharged.
Roddy Ashworth
THE trial of a man accused of murdering an Essex sixth form student was halted today and the jury discharged.
Convicted child killer Peter Tobin is ill, needs surgery and is not fit to stand trial, judge Mr Justice Calvert-Smith told jurors.
Tobin, who was found guilty of murdering 15-year-old Vicky Hamilton in December, denies murdering 18-year-old Dinah McNicol.
The trial began on June 23, but jurors had not heard evidence for more than a week because of Tobin being taken to hospital..
The jury was told he had shingles “with complications” and would need “surgical intervention”.
Miss McNicol, of Tillingham, Essex, disappeared in August 1991 after attending a music festival in Liphook, Hampshire.
A new trial is expected to be held later in the year.
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