Otis Ferry cleared of "witness nobbling" (From Tewkesbury Admag)
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Otis Ferry cleared of "witness nobbling"
2:24pm Friday 1st May 2009 in Cotswolds
GLOUCESTER Crown Court saw rock star Bryan Ferry's huntsman son, Otis Ferry, cleared of a "witness nobbling" charge that kept him jailed for four months.
Ferry, 26, of Eaton Mascott, Shropshire, faced two charges of perverting the course of justice after being accused of telling his former groom, David Hodgkiss, not to give evidence against him when he was due to stand trial at the court, on robbery and assault charges, last September.
He and fellow fox hunter John Deutsch, 55, of Chipping Campden, had been due to stand trial after being charged with robbing hunt monitor Helen Ghalmi of a camera and assaulting her during a Heythrop Hunt meeting, near Stow, in November 2007.
They also face alternative charges of affray.
Their trial was aborted after the “witness nobbling” charges arose.
However, the prosecution subsequently announced it was discontinuing the “witness nobbling” allegations.
Judge Martin Picton described this announcement as "nonsensical".
This latest hearing saw the judge record two not guilty verdicts on Ferry for the “witness nobbling” charges.
The court heard how a document, setting the prosecution's reasons for the discontinuation, had been handed into the judge but the Crown Prosecution Service was anxious the reasons were not publicised.
After reading it, Judge Picton said: "I don't indicate any approval or disapproval of the court processes which led to the decision and I won't."
Geoffrey Cox QC, defending, also received the document.
He said the defence's position was that "enough was enough" and asked that the case be re-listed for a day's legal argument before Judge Picton.
Judge Picton ruled that hearing would be on May 22 and the trial on September 28.
Mr Cox said there was now a single count that was more than 17 months old and the trial was going to happen nearly two years after the alleged offence.
Ferry and Hodgkiss were granted bail.
