Jury returns verdict on one of the accused in Dean Gray Long Bennington murder trial
The jury in a Gypsy feud murder trial has this afternoon returned verdicts on one of the accused.
Dean Gray, 46, died in hospital two days after being repeatedly punched in a family feud fight and falling to the ground and hitting his head.
The incident took place at Fairfield Motors on Main Road, Long Bennington, on August 11 last year.
Terence Hardy, 35, denies murder. Hardy’s father-in-law, Stuart Gray Snr, 63, senior denied manslaughter and possession of an offensive weapon.
The jury at Lincoln Crown Court returned verdicts of not guilty to the charges faced by Stuart Gray.
They will continue to deliberate on Hardy tomorrow.
In closing arguments before the jury was asked to deliberate, Mr Parr, defending Stuart Snr, urged the jury to put faith in the CCTV imagery they had viewed and acquit his client.
Mr Scamardella, prosecuting, told the jury that Mr Gray walked into Grantham Hospital A&E after the incident, blood pouring from his head, not knowing he was dying.
“Nothing from his mouth could have led him to his killers. Mercifully for him, the whole incident was on CCTV,” he said.
He added while Hardy did not deserve what happened to him in the incident prior to the fight — where he was hit with some kind of rod — Hardy’s only thought was to get revenge on Dean and his father Steven Gray.
“As he was leaving the site, it was Hardy’s case he was challenged to a fight from Dean — a challenge he says is impossible to refuse in Gypsy culture, to not be labelled a sh*thouse,” said Mr Scamardella.
Mr Parr said: “Put yourself in Stuart’s shoes.
“Just imagine this dreadful situation — you go there hoping to settle the matter without violence, a fight kicks off, and someone tragically bangs his head on the concrete. It’s beggar’s belief.
“The camera never lies. When you look at the CCTV, he does not do anything to encourage that fight at all.”
Mr Selby, defending Hardy, said: “This was never meant to happen and, in truth, you may think that what killed Dean Gray was a freak accident.
“In Gypsy bare knuckle fights, the fight ends when one is ‘best’.
“Mr Gray did not give best and was quite content to carry on.”
"The Crown know and know only too well there was no intention to kill. When you assess the evidence and the traditions of the Gypsy heritage, the only right verdict is one of not guilty.”