A verdict into the murder of Lewis Dunne has been delayed by a strike by prison officers.
Three men were due to discover their fate after being charged with the 16-year-old’s shooting in the Eldonian Village exactly 12 months ago today.
But a jury at Liverpool Crown Court was unable to return a verdict on defendants Jake Culshaw, John Martin and Paul Martin.
The trio, all charged with Dunne’s killing, were unable to appear in court due to a nationwide strike by prison officers preventing them from being escorted.
A 24-hour walk out was called by union the Prison Officers’ Association in response to concerns about health and safety in UK detention centres.
Mr Justice Turner allowed the jury of nine men and three women to continue their deliberations before sending them home until the morning.
He said: “You will notice that there is nobody in the dock.
“Now the reason for that is that the Prison Officers’ Association has taken action which involves having a meeting this morning, that causes a level of disruption.
“The result of that is that there is nobody to take [the defendants] to court, that is not the fault of anybody in this room and certainly not the fault of the defendants.”