THE jury is out in the case of a man and two women accused of perverting the course of justice after the manslaughter of Ben Mahoney in Dartford earlier this year.
The 12 jurors retired at 9.50am this morning to consider their verdict in the case of Meranda Eccleston, 41, of St Gregory's Crescent, Gravesend, who is the sister of Mr Mahoney’s convicted killer Eddy Ives.
Also on trial at Maidstone Crown Court are Neil Sookoo, 37, and his partner Thereza George, 42, both of Hampton Crescent, Gravesend.
The trio deny perverting the course of justice by conspiring to persuade a witness to withdraw his statement.
Former boxer Ives, 30, from Gravesend, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Mahoney after a fight broke out at the House on the Hill kebab shop in East Hill, Dartford on April 12 this year.
Mr Mahoney, 30, of St Martin's Road, Dartford, died of a brain haemorrhage after being repeatedly punched in the head, face and neck.
On November 22 Ives pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice in relation to the same case.
He was jailed for eight years in September for the manslaughter of Mr Mahoney.
The defendants, who have all pleaded not guilty, allegedly helped Ives by passing on the names of three witnesses in the case to Mr Sookoo who went on to tell kebab shop worker Cafer Zorlu, who witnessed the attack, to withdraw his statement.
The trial began on December 10.
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