The trial of two doormen accused of the murder of a Vietnamese man and the assault of a Chinese man dramatically collapsed at the Central Criminal court today.
Judge Mr Justice Henry Abbott discharged the 11-member jury, telling them that fresh material that emerged last Thursday was "unforeseen but also more serious than would have been thought".
Following two days of legal argument, Mr Justice Abbott said he had "decided to stop the trial", saying "It's not possible for this trial to proceed any longer". He excused the jurors from jury service for ten years.
The two accused - Mr James Harmer (26) of Strafford, England, and Mr Noel O'Flaherty (33) of McCormack Gardens, Sutton, Co Dublin - had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Ly Minh Luong (50) at Fownes St Upper, Templebar, Dublin, on August 19th, 2002.