Court water leak holds up murder trial

THE START of a murder trial was delayed after jury documents were destroyed by a water leak at Leeds Crown Court.

Proceedings had to be temporarily halted while prosecutors prepared new paperwork so the trial could get under way.

The judge in charge of the case told members of the jury in the trial of Glyndwr Wayman: “This is an unprecedented incident in my experience.”

Wayman, 50, is on trial accused of murdering 90- year- old Nathan Suggit in his own home in Pontefract on October 5 last year.

He also denies a charge of robbing a 61- year- old woman outside her home in Pontefract.

The case was due to begin at 10.30am on Wednesday but the incident led to a delay of just over an hour.

Explaining the delay, Judge Simon Phillips QC said the prosecution had prepared document bundles to be distributed among jurors to help them better understand the evidence presented during the trial.

The judge said the bundles had been stored in an “appropriate room” ready to be distributed at the start of the trial.

Judge Phillips said: “There was a water leak overnight and that damaged the bundles and they had to be re- done this morning.”

He added: “There is ongoing building work being done on this building.

“Whether that had anything to do with it, I do not know.

“Fortunatelythey[ theprosecution] have been able to work hard and have replaced those bundles.”

Mr Suggitt, known as Terry, was found with stab wounds at his flat in Love Lane Terrace, Pontefract, on October 5 last year.

The trial was delayed earlier this year because coronavirus stopped court cases from being held.