Judge attacks Otis Ferry charge as 'nonsense'

Otis Ferry's mother and girlfriend were in court today to hear that charges of "witness nobbling", that saw him locked up for four months, are to be dropped.

Ferry, 26, son of Roxy Music singer Bryan, was due to stand trial on charges of robbing a hunt monitor, assault and perverting the course of justice.

Today Ferry, joint master of the Shropshire hunt, learned along with mother Lucy Birley, 48, and girlfriend Francesca Nimmo, 22, that the last charge was to be abandoned.

Gloucester crown court judge Martin Picton told prosecutor Stephen Dent he wanted "something by way of explanation" given that he had remanded Ferry over Christmas because of the allegation.

Mr Dent said: "Further investigations have revealed inconsistencies that the Crown are unhappy with. Inconsistencies in the evidence."

A different barrister is to prosecute the case at trial, and Judge Picton ordered that he attend court to explain the decision in detail. He added: "This is nonsense at the moment."

The robbery is alleged to have taken place while Ferry was with the Heythrop Hunt, near Stow on the Wold, in November 2007.

The trial failed to get off the ground last September when allegations of "witness nobbling" emerged and Ferry was charged with perverting the course of justice. In January he was granted bail.