Islington Tribune - News: 'Deal' rejected by murder accused

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Islington Tribune - by DAVID ST GEORGE
Published: 20 April 2007

‘Deal’ rejected by murder accused

THE agonising waiting continues for the loved ones of musician and sound engineer Tom Easton after the man accused of killing him refused “to agree a deal” at the Old Bailey.
Mr Easton was stabbed just days short of his 23rd birthday at the Islington Council-run EC1 Music Project in Old Street in September last year.
During his latest appearance, accused Barrington McKenzie insisted he still intends to conduct his own defence without any help from a solicitor or barrister.
He said he was not prepared to consent to a transfer from prison to a psychiatric hospital for a full assessment of his mental state, so doctors can decide whether he is fit to plead.
“I have declined many times a stay in a secure mental facility,” he told the Common Serjeant of London, Judge Brian Barker, QC.
The case was adjourned until May 25 to allow time for a solution to be found.
McKenzie still has not entered a plea, even though he has been on remand for five months since his arrest.
Preferring to stand in the dock during the hearing, he replied, when asked to confirm that he is Barrington McKenzie: “I suppose I am.”
Jobless McKenzie, 22, of Plaistow, east London, has made four Old Bailey appearances.
He is charged with the murder of Mr Easton on September 15 last year.
Mr Easton, a highly-talented youth worker, had his own studio at EC1 Music Project. He lived in Bolton Walk, Holloway. Family and friends have set up a trust in his memory.

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