Dramatic twist in Damilola trial

The Damilola Taylor murder trial took a surprise twist this afternoon when a woman was discharged from the jury.

Mr Justice Hooper refused to give the 11 remaining jurors any details of why the woman would not be allowed to continue in the trial.

The unexpected move came after a tense morning of legal argument behind closed doors at the start of the 12th week of the murder trial.

The remaining seven men and four women on the panel, who had not been in court since last Friday, were summoned into court in midafternoon.

The judge told them: "I have myself decided [that] the 12th member of the jury can no longer sit as a juror. I am not going to go into the matter at all with you and just say that that is what I have decided.

"But I ask you this: don't please try and talk to her before the whole of this trial is over."

The judge then told the jury to go back to their room where, he said, the court clerk "will ask you a question". He refused to say in open court what that question was. Later the clerk gave the jury's answer to the question to the judge and the 11 jurors filed back into court.

The formal discharge of the juror comes as the defence case nears its end. The jury is due to retire to consider their verdicts in the middle of next week.

Schoolboy Damilola died from injuries from a broken beer bottle in Blakes Road, Peckham in November 2000, the court has heard.

Two 16-year-old brothers from south London known as A and B have pleaded not guilty to murder and further charges of manslaughter and assault with intent to rob. The case continues.