Judge in Gosport murder trial now accepts majority verdicts from depleted jury after one collapses

Jurors at Portsmouth Crown Court have now been considering their verdicts over Aiden West, Peter West and Michael Figgins for over three days - or now around 19 hours.

Judge Michael Bowes KC told jurors he would now accept majority verdicts of 10 to one after no unanimous decision had yet been reached by the now reduced 11 members of the jury. The jury of 12 was reduced on Wednesday after one of them collapsed on Tuesday evening and had to be rushed to hospital. The juror has now been discharged from the trial by the judge.

Aiden West, 24, of Tudor Close, Gosport, denies murder and possession of a blade but has admitted robbery. Peter West, 43, of Fisgard Road, and Figgins, 64, of St Ann's Crescent, are both charged with two counts of assisting an offender. Tommy West, 18, of Fisgard Road, has admitted murder, robbery and possession of a blade following the frenzied cocaine robbery on Levi. 

The court previously heard how Levi was repeatedly stabbed by Tommy West after being lured to shops behind Nobes Avenue after 2am on November 24 having refused to defer payment on a deal. The victim was knifed in his Vauxhall Corsa before attempting to escape and crashing his car into a wall. Levi was then chased into Keyes Road before he was set upon again.