Waterloo murder trial: Three men accidentally cleared over fatal stabbing after jury makes ‘mistake’
A “mistake” by a jury forewoman meant three men accused of killing a man near Waterloo Station were initially cleared – only for the judge to bring the case back into court and jurors be unable to reach a verdict.
Adrian Keise, 32, was fatally stabbed in October 2022 in Lower Marsh, central London, after becoming involved in an altercation.
Brothers Paul Yusuff, 21, and Matthew Yusuff, 23, were charged with his murder, while the former was also charged with possession of a knife.
They were also charged with the lesser alternative of manslaughter, along with a third defendant, Moussa Traore, 24.
All three men, from south London, denied the charges and were on trial at the Old Bailey in London.
Jury forewoman makes ‘mistake’
The jury of 11 men and women had been deliberating for 10 hours and 46 minutes when they were called into court for what was expected to be a majority direction.
The jury forewoman was twice asked if verdicts had been reached on which they all agreed before finding the defendants, from south London, not guilty.
Lower Marsh, Waterloo, London. Google Street View.
Soon after the jury was discharged, Judge Charles Gratwicke reassembled the court after receiving a jury note indicating a mistake had been made.
Despite opposition from defence barristers, the judge recalled the jury and questioned the forewoman about what happened.
The judge asked if she had made a “mistake” when she said the jury had unanimous verdicts.
The woman replied: “Yes.”
The judge told the jury to resume deliberations and that he would accept a verdict on which at least 10 of the 11 jurors agreed. A 12th jury member had fallen ill and died during the trial.
On Thursday, the jury was discharged for a second time after deliberating for a total of 12 hours and 44 minutes.
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Asked if the jury had reached any verdicts on which at least 10 agreed, the forewoman initially said “no”.
She quickly corrected herself and found Paul Yusuff not guilty of possessing a blade.
The jury was unable to agree on verdicts in relation to two other charges.
The prosecution was given seven days to consider whether or not to seek a retrial.
If the CPS does not seek a retrial, prosecutors will formally offer no evidence in the case and a judge will formally find the defendants not guilty.
‘Extremely troubled’
After the jury left court, defence barrister Kerim Fuad KC said he remained “extremely troubled” by what had happened and expressed concern that the defendants, who are all in custody, were being detained “illegally” in light of Wednesday’s verdict.
The trial was held at the Old Bailey in London. File pic
Previously, the trial had heard how Mr Keise, from Lambeth, was chased and surrounded by the three men in the early hours of 29 October 2022.
Earlier that evening Mr Keise had spent the evening drinking with friends at the Thirsty Bear pub in nearby Stamford Street.
They went on to the area of the Cubana Bar, near Waterloo Station, shortly after 2am where their paths crossed with the defendants’ group.
Prosecutor William Davis had said: “Within just a few minutes, an innocuous, minor and quite insignificant disagreement grew to an altercation and then escalated into a period of uncontrolled violence quite out of any proportion to the initiating event – all taking place in the streets of central London.”
It was alleged that Matthew Yusuff wielded a bottle and Paul Yusuff stabbed Mr Keise in the back three times with a knife.
The victim was rushed to hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Former British heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua delivered a dose of reality to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul as he won their much-anticipated showdown.
Joshua scored three knockdowns before landing a huge right hit on Paul halfway through the sixth round.
The British fighter lifted Paul’s hand in a show of respect after the fight broadcast on the streaming platform Netflix.
Joshua landing the right hit that knocked out Paul. Pic: AP
“Jake Paul has done really well tonight. I want to give him his props, he got up, time and time again,” he said about his opponent.
Joshua said it “wasn’t the best performance”, adding: “It took a bit longer than expected. But the right hand finally found the destination.”
Joshua celebrating his win after the fight. Pic: Reuters
Meanwhile, Paul said: “I’m feeling good, that was fun. I love this sport. I gave it my all, It’s f****** crazy. I had a blast.
“I got my ass beat, but that’s what this sport is about. I’mma (going to) come back and keep on winning.”
He added: “I just got tired to be honest. He did amazing and hits really hard.”
Jake Paul was knocked down three times before the final knockout in the sixth round. Pic: Reuters
The fight marked the end of a 14-month hiatus for Joshua, 36, while for 28-year-old Paul it was the biggest fight since his boxing career began in 2020.
At the weigh-in on Friday, Joshua boasted an almost two-stone advantage over Paul, who has regularly fought at cruiserweight since he entered the world of boxing.
Britain’s two-time world heavyweight champion tipped the scales at 243.4lbs (17st 5lbs) for his fight against Paul in Miami, while Paul weighed in at 216lbs (15st 6lbs) – a hefty 1.9st difference.
Joshua, who could not weigh more than 245lbs, is the lightest he has been since his first fight against Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 when he was 240lbs. For his last fight against Daniel Dubois he weighed 252.5Ibs.
Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua at the weigh-in. Pic: Reuters
It is also only the second time that Paul weighed in over cruiserweight limit – the other time was when he fought 58-year-old Mike Tyson. Paul defeated Tyson by unanimous decision with 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.
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Family of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe pay tribute to ‘beautiful soul’ as teen appears in court charged with murder
The family of a nine-year-old girl stabbed to death have said she was a “beautiful soul” who was brave, kind-hearted and “always put a smile on people’s faces”.
Police were called to Lime Close in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, just before 6.10pm on Monday, where Aria Thorpe had suffered a single stab wound.
The child was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a tribute released by Avon and Somerset Police on Friday, the girl’s family on her mother’s side said: “For those who didn’t have the privilege of knowing Aria, she was the most beautiful little soul – happy-go-lucky, full of light, and joy.
“She loved to sing and dance, and she took such pride in dressing up, always wanting to look just like her mummy.”
Tom Thorpe, the girl’s father, said: “It’s hard to put into words how devastating it is, our little Aria, that you’re up there with the angels looking over us.”
It comes as a 15-year-old boy charged with Aria’s murder appeared in court.
Pic: Avon and Somerset Police
Aria was a ‘precious girl’
In their statement, Aria’s family on her mother’s side said her death “has devastated us beyond words”.
“Our hearts are broken in a way we never imagined possible,” they added.
“As a family, we are holding one another close and doing everything we can to support each other through this unimaginable time.”
They said they were “truly touched by the lovely messages we have received”, before asking “that our privacy is respected, as we try to come to terms with the terrible loss of our precious girl”.
Flowers laid in memory of the young girl
‘Wacky ways and outright madness’
Mr Thorpe said: “How sad it’s going to be not hearing ‘Dad, how long left?’ on our long journeys back and forth at weekends.
He then said that Aria was “such a brave, kind-hearted and a beautiful innocent soul”, and “always put a smile on people’s faces with your wacky ways and just outright madness”.
Mr Thorpe added: “Your other little family down here in Portsmouth will forever miss you.
“We’ll miss you begging to go outside, even in the pouring rain just to have as much fun as possible in the little time we had at weekends.
“You will be greatly missed, you special little angel. A life gone far too early but I hope a life lived well. We all love you dearly. Goodnight darling.”
Teenager in court
Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy charged with Aria’s murder appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, where he was remanded.
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, was arrested in the Somerset village of Worle at 6.19pm on Monday.
He is next due in court on 16 March 2026. Appearing via video link from youth detention accommodation, he spoke only to confirm his name.
Judge Peter Blair KC set a provisional trial date for 15 June during the hearing.
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