A trial date has been set for a 17-year-old boy charged with murdering a man with a knife last Thursday (29 August).
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was due to appear this morning (Tuesday 3 September) before Judge Christine Laing, the honorary recorder of Brighton and Hove.
But he was not brought to Lewes Crown Court from Feltham Young Offender Institution, near Hounslow, in west London, and the hearing went ahead in his absence.
Judge Laing said that the boy would face a jury on Monday 27 January and that the murder trial was expected to take about three weeks.
The teenager, from Hellingly, is accused of the murder of 20-year-old Bill Ripley by stabbing him in Vicarage Field, Hailsham, at about 6.20pm last Thursday.
The judge said that the boy would be arraigned – or enter a formal plea to the charge – on Friday 1 November.
Ryan Richter, prosecuting, said that he also faced a charge of having a knife in a public place.
Arlette Piercy, defending, said that, at Brighton Magistrates’ Court yesterday, she warned the bench of the likelihood that the young defendant would not be produced this morning.
She had asked for an afternoon hearing today but her request had been turned down.
The court was told that the youth was booked in late last night and missed off the “production list” for today and that Feltham had been unable to arrange a video link.
It was likely that either all the available rooms with video links were already booked or no one was available to bring him from his cell to the room with the video link.
Miss Piercy said that Feltham was “a somewhat chaotic institution”.
Sussex Police said previously that officers had also arrested a 20-year-old man, from Hailsham, on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. He remained in police custody.
And a 21-year-old woman, also from Hailsham, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. She has been released on conditional bail until Saturday 30 November.
