THE retrial of a murder suspect will not take place until November.

Christopher Guest More Jnr, from Lymm, went on trial at Chester Crown Court in March and April this year accused of murdering Brian Waters.

But jurors were unable to reach verdicts in the case despite a week of deliberations and were discharged in early May.

The prosecution sought a retrial though, and this has now been listed to begin in the first week of November 2021 back at the same court.

Mr Waters was killed on June 19 2003 after being subjected to a brutal four-hour torture ordeal at Burnt House Farm, near to junction 19 of the M6 at Knutsford.

Knutsford Guardian:

The 44-year-old, who was operating the site as a cannabis farm, was hung upside down by his ankles, beaten with a metal bar and burned with melting plastic in front of his own children over a £20,000 drug debt.

He was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of his injuries.

More, 43, had been wanted in connection with the assault for more than 15 years before being detained on a European arrest warrant in 2019.

Knutsford Guardian:

He was then extradited back to the UK in early 2020.

The 43-year-old, previously of Burford Lane Farm, denies murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm against Suleman Razak, who was also attacked at the farm having been involved in the growing of the drugs.

A former undercover TV researcher, More admitted having been present while associates of gangster John Wilson stole the cannabis and cultivating equipment in the hours leading up to the killing but claimed to have left the farm before the violence unfolded.

He also denied any knowledge of a plot to attack either Mr Waters or Mr Razak.