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Swan killing trial is halted
Court case of three men accused of shooting 29 protected swans has been deferred indefinitely
The trial of three men accused of shooting 29 protected swans has been deferred indefinitely because Bedfordshire Police lost vital evidence.
Stephen Barrett, 38, Marcus Walker, 51, and Darren Walker, 47, from Chesham in Buckinghamshire were due to appear at Bedford Magistrates' Court on Monday, August 4 to face several firearms and animal cruelty charges relating to the shootings on Radwell Lake last October.
But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) removed the case from the court's trial schedule after police lost a bullet recovered from the swans.
This means that defence lawyers cannot explore the prosecution's claim that the bullet was linked to one of the defendants' guns.
A full review of the case will now be conducted by the CPS and police in conjunction with the RSPB.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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