Youths face retrial over Damilola

Damilola bled to death in Peckham from a leg wound

Two brothers cleared of murdering 10-year-old Damilola Taylor are to face a retrial accused of his manslaughter.

Jurors on Tuesday found the pair, aged 18 and 17, not guilty of murder but were discharged after failing to reach a verdict on the manslaughter charges.

The older of the two has been remanded in custody but the younger has been granted conditional bail.

Damilola bled to death from a leg wound in Peckham, south London, in 2000. The retrial will be held on 21 June.

A third defendant, Hassan Jihad, aged 20, pleaded not guilty and was cleared on Monday of all charges.

Bail conditions

The bail conditions on the 17-year-old include living at a given address, reporting to police and observing a curfew from 2100 BST to 0700 BST.

Lawyers and police officers met the director of public prosecutions, Ken Macdonald QC, on Wednesday to discuss a possible retrial.

The decision was announced at the Old Bailey on Thursday.

Asked whether Damilola's parents, Richard and Gloria Taylor, had been consulted, prosecutor Victor Temple QC said: "Absolutely."

He told the judge when they were dealing with such serious allegations there was a need for a definitive conclusion to the case.

In 2002, four other youths went on trial for Damilola's murder but the case against two collapsed while the other two were acquitted.