Retrial Jury Clears Three Men of Killing After Mistaken Verdict Controversy
A jury has found three men not guilty of murder after a retrial followed a controversial initial verdict
London, UK, Adrian Keise, Paul Yusuff, Moussa Traore, Matthew Yusuff
London: Three men were found not guilty of murder after a jury realized there was a mistake in their first trial. It all started when Adrian Keise was fatally stabbed during a minor argument outside Waterloo station in 2022.
This time, the jury took just 55 minutes to reach their decision. Paul Yusuff, 22, and his brother Matthew, 24, were cleared of murder and manslaughter. Their friend, Moussa Traore, 25, was also found not guilty of manslaughter.
When the verdicts were announced, a family member of Mr. Keise left the courtroom in tears, clearly upset by the outcome. Paul Yusuff’s lawyer, Kerim Fuad KC, expressed how tragic it was that the lives of these young men had been affected for so long.
He pointed out that both brothers had been living with this cloud over their heads for two years, with one of them even spending time in custody. It’s wild to think that two juries reached the same conclusion so quickly this time around.
The retrial came a year after the first trial ended, which had its own drama. The original jury was down to 11 members after one juror fell ill and passed away. After the first trial, the family of Mr. Keise was devastated when the defendants were found not guilty, only to learn that the jury forewoman had made a mistake.
They had to deliberate again, but couldn’t reach a decision on all the charges, leading to a second discharge. The judge, Charles Gratwicke, faced some pushback from the defense when the error was revealed.
After the first jury was discharged, Mr. Fuad expressed his concerns about the situation, feeling that the defendants were being held “illegally” given the initial not guilty verdicts.
As they awaited their retrial, the three men challenged their detention at HMP Belmarsh. Their lawyers argued that the first verdicts should have stood. However, three High Court judges disagreed, saying the forewoman had experienced “stage fright” during the stressful court proceedings.
Before the retrial, the defendants were granted bail, but Mr. Traore was sent back to custody during the trial for missing two days. The court heard that Mr. Keise was chased and stabbed three times by Paul Yusuff after a small disagreement escalated.
Mr. Keise couldn’t defend himself as he was surrounded by the three men, with Matthew Yusuff allegedly using a bottle. He was taken to the hospital but sadly died from his injuries.
Mr. Keise had been out with friends at a pub before the incident. The prosecutor described how a minor disagreement turned into a tragic and unnecessary act of violence in central London.
The Yusuff brothers claimed they were acting in self-defense, while Mr. Traore chose not to testify. Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC thanked the jurors for their service as they left the courtroom.