Triple deaths trial halted again

Keith Cowell, his son Matthew and a third man were shot dead

A jury in the case of a triple killing has been discharged for the second time for legal reasons.

The case began at St Albans Crown Court on 23 June, but was halted on Thursday. A new jury was sworn in on Monday but was stopped again in the afternoon.

Miran Thakrar, 24, and his brother Kevan Thakrar, 21, deny murdering Keith Cowell, 42, his son Matthew, 17, and 33-year-old Tony Dulieu.

A new jury has been sworn in and the trial is due to start again on Tuesday.

The shootings happened at the Cowells' home in Plaw Hatch Close, Bishop Stortford, on 28 August last year.

Mr Dulieu had been living in Billericay, Essex.

Miran Thakrar, of no fixed address and Kevan, of Lomond Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, also deny the attempted murders of Claire Evans and Christine Jennings - who were in the house on the day of the shootings.

They further deny having an Ingram Mac 10 sub machine gun with intent.

'Burning car charge'

Their brother Jay Thakrar, 25, of Lomond Way, Stevenage pleaded not guilty to two counts of assisting an offender.

One related to providing petrol between 27 August and 30 August for the burning of a car said to have been used by Miran Thakrar and the other charge alleges he assisted Kevan Thakrar to evade arrest.

Their father Atul Thakrar, 47, of Compton Place, Northwood, pleaded not guilty to assisting Kevan Thakrar to attempt to leave the UK between 28 August and 5 September.

Co-defendant Amanda Dansie, 21, of High Street, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, pleaded not guilty to assisting Miran Thakrar to leave the UK between 28 August and 9 September.

Yilay Tufensoy, 20, of Nags Head Road, Enfield, denied two charges of assisting an offender.

In one charge he is alleged to have assisted Miran Thakrar leave the UK and in the other he is accused of assisting Kevan Thakrar's attempts to leave the country.