In a shocking turn of events, three men were accidentally acquitted of the killing of 32-year-old Adrian Keise near Waterloo Station after a mistake made by the jury forewoman at the Old Bailey.

The family of Adrian Keise, from Lambeth, was left devastated as they had expected a different outcome for the trial of brothers Paul and Matthew Yusuff, along with their friend Moussa Traore.

The jury, consisting of 11 men and women, deliberated for over 10 hours when they were brought back to the courtroom for what was anticipated to be a majority direction.

The jury forewoman was twice asked if they had reached unanimous verdicts, to which she confirmed. However, soon after the jury was discharged, it became apparent that an error had occurred.

Judge Charles Gratwicke, who had come out of retirement to preside over the case, reassembled the court after receiving a note from the jury indicating a mistake. Despite opposition from defence barristers, the judge recalled the jury and questioned the forewoman about the error.

The forewoman admitted to making a mistake when she had previously claimed unanimous verdicts. The judge then informed the jurors that he would accept a verdict on which at least 10 agreed, instructing them to continue deliberations.

On the following day, the jury was discharged for a second time after a total of 12 hours and 44 minutes of deliberation. The forewoman initially stated that they hadn’t reached any verdicts with at least 10 agreeing, but she quickly corrected herself by finding Paul Yusuff not guilty of possessing a blade or point. The jury was unable to agree on verdicts for two other charges.

Paul Yusuff, 21, and Matthew Yusuff, 23, had been charged with murder, as well as the lesser alternative of manslaughter, along with the third defendant, Moussa Traore, 24.

Judge Gratwicke excused the jurors from service for 10 years following their discharge, as one juror had become ill and passed away before Christmas, reducing the panel from 12 to 11.

After the jury left the courtroom, defence barrister Kerim Fuad KC expressed his continued concern over the situation, indicating that he believed the defendants, who are currently in custody, were being detained “illegally” based on Wednesday’s verdict.

The prosecution now has seven days to decide whether to seek a retrial. During the trial, it had been alleged that Adrian Keise was chased and surrounded by the three men in the early hours of October 29, 2022. Matthew Yusuff was accused of wielding a bottle, while Paul Yusuff allegedly stabbed Keise in the back three times with a knife. The victim was taken to the hospital but later succumbed to his injuries. The trial had heard that a minor disagreement had escalated into a violent altercation.

The defendants had denied all the charges against them, and the case remains under consideration for a possible retrial.