A man accused of stabbing a football fan to death in a Hornchurch pub will face a retrial, after the jury failed to reach a verdict yesterday (Friday).
James Roberts, 31, is accused of murdering 60-year-old Aiden O’Mahony after the railway worker stepped in to stop him verbally abusing a barmaid, telling Roberts “You don’t treat a lady like that”.
Mr O’Mahony, known as Oggy, had been watching Tottenham Hotspur’s third round FA Cup clash with Leicester at JJ Moon’s Wetherspoons pub in High Street, on January 10 this year.
Roberts of Ambleside Avenue, Elm Park, had been drinking in the pub with his father and had allegedly become irate after they got into a row – prompting the barmaid to ask him to leave.
Instead of exiting the pub, Roberts verbally abused her.
He is accused of stabbing Mr O’Mahony with a kitchen knife when he tried to intervene.
Roberts, who denies murder, will face a retrial after the jury failed to reach a verdict following 10 hours and 40 minutes of deliberations.
He is due back in court on July 1 to fix a date for his retrial.
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