Jury discharged in hoax 'swatting' calls trial
PA Media The jury in the trial of two teenagers accused of carrying out hoax "swatting" calls in the UK, US and Canada has been discharged.
Dylan Ash and Kieron Ellison, both 19, were accused of being part of an online syndicate called Monkey Mafia, which carried out hoax calls between October 2022 and June 2023.
Their trial, which was opened last week, heard swatting was a form of hoax call which alleged an armed attack and resulted in special weapons and tactics teams, or Swat teams, being called.
On Monday, Judge David Potter told jurors: "An issue has arisen and, despite all our best efforts, it is not possible to continue with this trial." A retrial date has been set for 19 July next year.
Ash, from Deal in Kent, and Ellison, of Maghull, Merseyside, deny five counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and one count of conspiracy to bomb hoax.
Ash also denies a further count of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, related to false reports allegedly made to police in the US between July 2023 and October 2024.
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