17-year-old cleared of Damilola killing

In Britain, a 17-year-old youth was today dramatically cleared of the murder of Damilola Taylor after a judge threw out the evidence of the prosecution's main witness.

Old Bailey judge Mr Justice Hooper directed the jury to find the youth not guilty of murder and other charges.

The case against the boy relied on identification evidence from the 14-year-old girl who said she had witnessed the killing of 10-year-old Damilola.

But the judge ruled that the girl had told "embellished lies" to the police which, along with other factors, would taint her evidence.