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Jury discharged in Mingwei Tan bus death trial Jury discharged in Mingwei Tan bus death trial
(about 2 hours later)
The jury in the trial of a bus driver accused of killing a student and dragging her body under his vehicle for half a mile has been discharged.The jury in the trial of a bus driver accused of killing a student and dragging her body under his vehicle for half a mile has been discharged.
Shahriar Firouzian, 52, had been charged with causing the death of Mingwei Tan by careless driving.Shahriar Firouzian, 52, had been charged with causing the death of Mingwei Tan by careless driving.
However, Blackfriars Crown Court heard there was no realistic prospect of a conviction, and a verdict of not guilty was formally entered by the judge.However, Blackfriars Crown Court heard there was no realistic prospect of a conviction, and a verdict of not guilty was formally entered by the judge.
Miss Tan was hit by a bus in Hampstead, north London, on 30 September 2010.Miss Tan was hit by a bus in Hampstead, north London, on 30 September 2010.
The 20-year-old Cambridge University medical student was dragged for half a mile under a vehicle, the court heard.The 20-year-old Cambridge University medical student was dragged for half a mile under a vehicle, the court heard.
Mr Firouzian, of Harrow Way, Watford, had denied causing death by careless driving, and the court was told he thought he had run over a bottle initially and then a fox. Mr Firouzian, of Harrow Way, Watford, had denied causing death by careless driving, and the court was told he thought he had run over a bottle initially, and then thought he had hit a fox.
The bus driver's solicitor Chandrakant Solanki read a statement saying: "My client is very relieved that this case is now over.
"He is very conscious of the loss suffered by Miss Tan's family and friends. This whole matter has been a tragedy for all the parties concerned."
'Lost a daughter'
The court had been due to hear evidence from Mr Firouzian, but prosecutor Hamish Reid told jurors the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had conducted a review and decided not to proceed with the case.
"The Crown Prosecution Service are satisfied there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction and would not seek to take this any further," he said.
The judge told the jury that "no doubt there will be a review" into the case by the CPS.
"The prosecution have, rightly in this case, come to the conclusion that they cannot ask for a conviction on the evidence they have been able to place in front of you," he said.
Judge John Hillen added that in such a case focused on the defendant, it can be forgotten that "there is a family - not in this case who have been present in court - but who have lost a daughter, a sister".
A spokeswoman for the CPS said: "At the commencement of this trial we considered that there was a realistic prospect of conviction.
"During the course of the trial some key aspects of the prosecution evidence, particularly with regards to expert evidence, were undermined.
"This weakened the prosecution case and meant that we were unable to prove that Shahriar Firouzian had driven at a standard which was below that of a competent and careful driver.
"In line with our duty to keep cases under continuous review we have re-reviewed this case and concluded that there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction."