Leighton Holt (above), who slashed and killed a former doorman after a row over a cigarette, has walked free from court – after jurors in two trials failed to reach a verdict
A labourer who slashed and killed a former nightclub doorman with a knife after a row over a cigarette walked free from court – after jurors in two trials failed to reach a verdict.
Leighton Holt, 21, of Stockbridge Village, Merseyside, denied the murder of Daniel Fox, 29, who was stabbed in the chest in the early hours of the morning in St Helens on September 2 last year.
Holt today walked with a group of friends out of Liverpool Crown Court where he has been on trial accused of the murder of Fox for the past few weeks.
He declared to a waiting photographer, ‘No face, no case’, while a friend made the devil’s horn sign with his fingers.
Holt admitted slashing and killing the former doorman in St Helens town centre – but argued he acted in self-defence.
He said he feared being ‘beat to death’ by Mr Fox and his friends on that day in September.
A jury was unable to reach a verdict after a 16-day retrial and 28-and-a-half hours of deliberation at Liverpool Crown Court. Holt burst into tears and held his head in his hands, while his mother sobbed and hugged relatives. Mr Fox’s family sat in silence.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed it would not seek a third trial and prosecutors offered no further evidence.
High Court judge Mr Justice Neil Garnham then formally discharged Holt and ordered a verdict of not guilty.
Holt smiled at tearful family members and punched the air in celebration as he left the dock.
Holt, 21, of Stockbridge Village, Merseyside, denied the murder of Daniel Fox (above), 29, who was stabbed in the chest in the early hours of the morning in St Helens on September 2 last year after a row over a cigarette
The hung jury came after jurors were previously unable to reach a verdict, following an 11-day trial in March.
Prosecutors say Holt threatened to punch one of Mr Fox’s friends, Joel Maudsley, after she refused to give him a cigarette in St Helens town centre. Another ex-bouncer, Andrew Parr, slapped Holt after he allegedly told him ‘I’ll f***ing slice you’ when asked to go away.
Holt denied making any threats and claimed Mr Parr said: ‘One, two, three, f*** off’ before hitting him hard in the face.
He said he pulled out a butterfly knife and waved it in ‘bravado’ so he wasn’t hit again, as his girlfriend Kaitlin Douglas pushed him away.
The court heard Mr Fox and Mr Parr, along with doorman Peter Edwards and Miss Maudsley, chased Holt after he walked off down an alleyway.
They reached a Sports Direct car park, off North John Street, at around 3.10am, where Holt slashed Mr Fox in the upper chest.
Friends tried to save Mr Fox, who died in hospital from an 8cm long and 3.5cm deep wound, which caused ‘massive’ internal bleeding.
A pathologist said the ‘deep slash’, which penetrated a lung and severed a jugular vein, was caused by a ‘forceful swing’.
Mr Fox died in hospital from an 8cm long and 3.5cm deep wound, which caused ‘massive’ internal bleeding. A pathologist said the ‘deep slash’, which penetrated a lung and severed a jugular vein, was caused by a ‘forceful swing’. Above, Mr Fox’s funeral
The court was told Holt fled and caught a taxi to his girlfriend’s house – stopping to throw the bloodied knife into bushes at a McDonald’s.
Miss Douglas recalled how her boyfriend later told her: ‘I only stabbed him in the arm, he’ll be OK. Juiceheads were ganging up on me. Look at the size of me compared to them.’
Holt then went to his aunt Michelle Hill’s home and confessed through tears: ‘I think I’ve killed someone.’ She said he told her: ‘I just got scared, it was either me or them.’
Holt said he believed the men would ‘beat me to death’ so started ‘sprinting for my life’, with Mr Parr ‘right behind me’.
Holt (behind the umbrella) is seen leaving Liverpool Crown Court after jurors in two trials failed to reach a verdict
He claimed he changed direction, saw Mr Fox trying to tackle him and ‘slashed’ – aiming at his arm – to avoid being grabbed.
Mr Guy Gozem QC, prosecuting, said CCTV revealed Holt had a 14-second head-start and suggested he could have run away – but deliberately ran back at Mr Fox.
Holt said he felt ‘sick’ and was ‘sorry’ to Mr Fox’s family – but it was his ‘only way out’ because, otherwise: ‘It would have been them on trial for my murder now.’
He claimed Mr Fox’s friends lied about not wanting to beat him up, adding: ‘If they didn’t follow me, Mr Fox would still be here now. It’s their fault for being bullies.’
Holt, who has no previous convictions, handed himself into police two days later and said he carried the knife for protection.
Siobhan Blake, Chief Crown Prosecutor for MerseyCheshire CPS said: ‘The Crown Prosecution Service respects the decision of the jury in the trial of Leighton Holt.
‘We will not be pursuing a further prosecution against him.’