Tipton murder case accused refused to attend court - plea entered

A judge at Wolverhampton Crown Court ordered that not guilty pleas to four charges, including the murder of taxi driver Harun Khan, be entered on behalf of David Harrison after he refused to attend a court hearing.

Harrison opted not to appear on a court video-link from HMP Frankland in County Durham on Friday.

The 15-minute hearing held in his absence was told the 76-year-old had notified the court that he did not wish to attend.

Harrison, from Bilston, is due to face trial before a High Court Judge in November charged with murdering 39-year-old Mr Khan on March 3 2008.

Father-of-four Mr Khan was shot outside his home in Tudor Street in Tipton, near Dudley, at 9.25pm and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Harrison is also charged with wounding following a shooting of a 27-year-old man on December 14 2007 in Farthings Lane, Dudley, and two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Before adjourning the case after submissions from prosecutor Michael Burrows KC and defence barristers Michael Duck KC and Martin Liddiard, Judge Michael Chambers KC said: “The defendant has clearly not attended voluntarily on March 6th (a previous hearing date) and, I am a satisfied, not attended voluntarily today.”

After directing that not guilty pleas be formally entered on all four charges, the judge added: “I also propose that the defendant is written to by the court office, giving him the warnings that would ordinarily follow.”

The letter, the judge said, would include notice of a right to give evidence, and that a trial may proceed in the defendant’s absence.

A pre-trial review was also fixed to take place on June 1 with a direction from the judge for Harrison to attend court in person.

The trial, due to begin on November 16, has a time estimate of three weeks.