Damilola trial ends in acquittals

Damilola died after being found bleeding heavily in a stairwell of a block of flats in south London

LONDON, England -- A British jury in the murder trial of 10-year-old Nigerian boy Damilola Taylor has found two teenage defendants not guilty.

The two 16-year-old brothers wept as they were cleared of murder at the Old Bailey on Thursday -- one boy collapsed into his tearful mother's arms and she hugged and kissed him.

But the end of the three-month trial has left the most important question unanswered -- was he killed or did he die by accident?

The brothers' solicitor Christopher Hartnell said he still maintained Damilola died as a result of an accident and acquittal was the only result "that truth and logic would allow."

Damilola bled to death in November 2000 on a south London housing estate from a thigh wound caused by broken glass.

The jury of seven men and four women had deliberated for more than three days before unanimous not guilty verdicts on charges of murder, manslaughter and assault with intent to rob were read to the packed court.

Two women jurors wept as the verdicts were read.

The victim's parents, Richard and Gloria Taylor, showed little emotion and left court without making any comment, but their solicitor Neil O'May said the verdict had come as a shock.

The brothers -- known only as Boy A and Boy B but who are of Mediterranean origin -- were driven from the court.

The verdicts have thrown the spotlight on Scotland Yard's police investigation of the case.

Home Secretary David Blunkett told the UK's Channel Four News that the police had "done their utmost to ensure they responded quickly and effectively" to the death of Damilola.

He said: "It's not just having the right direction or the determination, it's actually making sure that the process is followed, is rigorous and open and fair and I hope to goodness that we do now find those who have committed that horrendous crime."

Asked if there had been mistakes in the investigation, he said: "Oh I think the commissioner will want to have responded to that in terms of learning the lessons as to what may have happened, but I also think that in a very difficult situation the police have done their utmost to ensure they responded quickly and effectively."

The brothers were two of four original defendants. The cases against two other youths -- aged 15 and 17 -- was dismissed in February and March on the directions of the judge during the trial.

The police officer who led the inquiry defended the investigation saying his team did everything they could to catch the killers.

Detective Superintendent Trevor Shepherd said the investigating team felt "disappointment" but added they had used all resources and all witnesses available.

Allegations that the investigation was a "fiasco" were rejected but he added police now had no leads on which to further progress the inquiry.

Speaking to the media at New Scotland Yard, Shepherd said of the verdicts: "They are a disappointment to us. We accept the decision of the court and now we must move on from here.

"As far as the murder investigation goes at this time, there are no leads or evidence to warrant us taking any action against individuals.

"We used all resources available and no less effort was put into this inquiry than we would put into many major terrorist investigations."

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Bill Griffiths, head of London's murder squads, said the police could not be held responsible for events in the courtroom.

He said: "It may be that there were not the witnesses to this tragedy to come forward but every effort was made, every door was knocked upon and every answer analysed in an unrelenting search for the truth and we did the best we could.

"I never felt that the pressure that there was distracted or changed events."

A key development in the trial came when the judge threw out the evidence of a key witness -- a 14-year-old girl referred to only as 'Bromley'.

The girl, who was 12 at the time of Damilola's death, claimed to have witnessed the incident and seen the defendants. She was the only person to ever claim to have seen events.

But she was a far from a reliable witness and the judge threw her evidence out on February 27.

He said she had admitted telling a series of embellished lies and amid fears she may have persuaded to lie when the police offered her inducements.