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‘Cigs rage’ accused cleared
THE Old Bailey’s first “smoke rage” case ended on Monday with the public picking up the £70,000 bill for the hearing.
Following a three-day trial, heavy smoker Andrew Church was cleared of threatening to kill a man who ordered him to stub his cigarette out.
Mr Church, 37, denied that he took a knife to a fellow tenant at their home in Hornsey Road, Holloway, last Christmas.
Aderemi Adediran, 34, told the court he was in the kitchen preparing a meal when Mr Church lit up. “I was very annoyed. I don’t like cigarettes or the smell. He was provoking me. He knows I don’t like smokers,” he said.
He claimed that when they clashed Mr Church threatened to stab him.
Mr Church told the jury: “He accused me of dropping ash all over the place and called me a dirty pig just because I smoke. I work hard to pay my rent so why shouldn’t I enjoy a cig. All I did was to stand my ground.”
When the jury returned its not guilty verdict, Mr Church collected his possessions, including his cigarettes, and headed outside for a puff. The Old Bailey is non-smoking. |
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