6:30am Tuesday 24th November 2009
By Louise Robertson
The first criminal trial to be heard without a jury in England and Wales for 400 years will not be coming to Kingston Crown Court as anticipated, it has been announced.
The trial of four men accused of being part of a gang that stole £1.75m in a raid at Heathrow will instead be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice.
John Twomey, 61, Peter Blake, 56, Barry Hibberd, 41, and Glen Cameron, 49, were ordered to stand trial by judge alone.
Three trials regarding the Menzies World Cargo warehouse robbery, in February 2004, have been abandoned and cost an estimated £22m.
All deny the charges against them and the case will be the first to use new legislation which came into force with the Criminal Justice Act 2003 after the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, with Lord Justice Goldring and Justice McCombe made the ruling.
The trial is scheduled to begin on January 12 next year.
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