No case to answer in Thames Ditton man's kidnap trial Prosecutors offered no evidence and abandoned the trial of a man accused of kidnapping a taxi driver at knife point.
Harry Mackay, 22, of Queens Road, Thames Ditton, was at Kingston Crown Court for the start of his trial on May 8, after pleading not guilty the alleged kidnapping.
However, the Crown Prosecution decided as the trial was due to begin that it was not in the public interest to try to persuade a jury to convict Mr Mackay.
Doubts about the credibility of witness Syed Rahman had been raised when contradictions in his story surfaced.
He alleged he was kidnapped from Tolworth Rise North by force or fraud on Novermber 2, 2011.
Mr Rahman had told police he was too scared to alert staff at a petrol station what was happening when he refuelled because “a knife man” was with him and he felt threatened.
But CCTV footage showed he was alone in the petrol station for part of the time and did not raise the alarm.
The footage also revealed he had a face-to-face conversation with Mr Mackay, despite telling police he had not seen his face.
Mr Mackay also submitted an additional witness statement on March 14 which said Mr Rahman had visited him in prison.
Prosecutor Robert Brown said with that in mind he found it unbelievable he had not recognised him, which dented his credibility further.
Judge Elaine Coello agreed the trial could not go ahead.
She asked if police would look further in to the matter and said: “An awful lot of money has been wasted in this and it has had disastrous consequences for Harry Mackay.”
http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/elmbr ... nap_trial/
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