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Brothers Cleared Of Damilola Murder

LONDON (Reuters) - Two teenage brothers were found not guilty of the murder of Nigerian schoolboy Damilola Taylor at the Old Bailey on Tuesday but the jury could not reach an agreement on the lesser charge of manslaughter.

The Crown Prosecution Service will now have to consider whether to launch another trial over the manslaughter charges. It will announce its decision on Thursday.

Taylor, 10, bled to death on a stairwell on a rundown housing estate in Peckham, south London, in November 2000, just months after he arrived in Britain.

The death sparked a public outcry, prompting Prime Minister Tony Blair to vow to realign the justice system to give greater weight to the rights of victims.

The jury's announcement was greeted by a gasp from the public gallery and members of Taylor's family shook their heads in disbelief.

The brothers, now aged 17 and 18, cannot be named for legal reasons. They were also cleared on charges of assault.

On Monday, Hassan Jihad, 20, was cleared of any part in the boy's murder and was released.

The verdict brought to an end the second trial over the killing, one of the most high profile in Britain.

In 2002, four youths were acquitted of the murder after a witness who incriminated the defendants was discredited as a fantasist by defence lawyers.

(Source: MSN)