A Home Circuit Court jury retired for three hours Thursday and failed to arrive at a verdict in the case of Christopher Thomas, 21, higgler, of Brook Valley, Duhaney Park, St. Andrew, who is accused of murdering Detective Corporal Dave Daley.

Justice Marjorie Cole Smith has ordered a new trial for Thomas and he is remanded to return to court next week Friday.

Daley was shot 17 times in Brook Valley on February 12, 2007.

The Crown, represented by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Dirk Harrison, led evidence at the in camera trial that about 9 p.m. on the day of the incident, Daley went to Brook Valley to collect money from the driver of his minibus.

Car damaged

A man threw a stone, which dented Daley's motor car. He got out of his car to enquire as to why the man had thrown the stone.

Evidence was given that Thomas ran towards Daley and shot him several times in the back. The police recovered 42 spent shells fired from four guns from the murder scene.

Joel Anderson, the man who threw the stone damaging Daley's car, was shot and killed by Daley during the incident.

In his defence, Thomas, who was represented by attorneys-at-law C.J. Mitchell and Patrick Peterkin, said he was at his home in Brook Valley, which was some distance away from where the shooting took place. He said he heard gunshots on the night of the incident but he was not involved in the shooting.