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Thursday, 22 October 2009

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Judge orders retrial in John Travolta case

Mistrial declared following MP's claim

John Travolta testified in court during the trial

A judge overseeing an extortion case involving John Travolta has ordered a retrial.

Ex-senator Pleasant Bridgewater and paramedic Tarino Lightbourne are alleged to have demanded $25million (£15m) from the actor following the death of his son Jett, 16, on 2 January.

But yesterday Supreme Court Justice Anita Allen declared a mistrial after a Bahamian politician claimed on live TV that one of the accused had been cleared.

Judge Anita suspected possible misconduct as the jury were still in deliberations at the time.

‘We are very concerned in the interest of justice that it does not appear that there has been a communication from the jury room,' she told the jury.

‘I am very, very reluctant to discharge you, but in the interest of justice, having heard the views of counsel, we are concerned.

'It leaves the impression that there may have been a communication from the jury room. I am not going to ask if there was or not.'

A new trial date has not yet been set.

‘We are fully cooperating with the prosecution,' says John's lawyer Michael Ossi.

‘We are committed to seeing this through...Whatever the prosecution asks us to do is exactly what we will do.'

Pleasant Bridgewater and Tarino Lightbourne deny the charges.

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