Murder Case Dropped Against Birmingham Man

14 June 2019, 11:18 | Updated: 14 June 2019, 11:33

The case against a man accused of murdering a cousin of TV weatherman Alex Beresford has been dropped.

29 year-old Lovel Bailey, was accused of stabbing Nathaniel Armstrong, also 29, in Fulham, west London, on Saturday March 16.

Mr Bailey, of Bromwich Walk, Little Bromwich, Birmingham, was arrested at Gatwick Airport.

He was due to face trial at the Old Bailey in November but at a hearing before Judge Wendy Joseph QC, the prosecution announced it was not continuing the case.

Oliver Glasgow QC said the "strength of the evidence" meant there was no realistic prospect of conviction.

Mr Bailey had already been released from custody and the family of the dead man informed, he said.

Judge Joseph made clear to discontinue a case was not the same as a not guilty verdict, adding: "The Crown are saying they do not even have a case to bring at the moment."

The incident was alleged to have happened during an argument between Mr Armstrong and the defendant.

Mr Beresford, 38, has described his cousin as "a bright young man with his whole future ahead of him".

The killing happened 11 days after the weatherman spoke out about knife crime on ITV's breakfast programme, Good Morning Britain.

Mr Armstrong died shortly before 1am in Gowan Avenue - the same street where TV presenter Jill Dando was murdered 20 years ago.