Friend cleared of river killing charge

The trial of a Wolverhampton man accused of killing a 17-year-old who died after plunging into a river has been halted after a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence.

Mark Hoolichan of Stubby Lane, Wednesfield, stood accused of the manslaughter of teenager Jack McLeod. The 21-year-old's trial began on April 15 but was abandoned yesterday at Birmingham Crown Court after Judge Melbourne Inman QC's ruling. Hoolichan had been drinking with Jack on the night he went missing, he had denied manslaughter.

Jack's body was found in the River Leam in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, in January 2006, a month after he went missing.

The prosecution claimed former Burger King worker Hoolichan attacked Jack in a fit of temper. Hoolichan said he left his drunken friend alive and well on a bench near the river.

Det Chief Insp Adrian McGee, the senior investigating officer, said yesterday police had carried out a thorough investigation but Jack's family were still without answers.

"Our determination to discover what happened to Jack did not waiver," he said. "We never stopped searching for the truth. In considering the submissions, Judge Inman said that the prosecution has left no stone unturned.

"Following the decision to end court proceedings, we will be considering what action, if any, should be taken."

District crown prosecutor Neil Bannister said: "This has always been a very difficult case from an evidential point of view.

"Prior to charge we examined all the facts of the case and we took the unusual step of seeking advice from an extremely experienced Queens Counsel for his opinion.

"Once we had obtained all the information, we believed there was realistic prospect of a conviction."