This is not the first time that a judge has halted a trial in England because of prejudicial publicity. But it's unusual for the case to be stopped so late in the legal process. The case centred on allegations that four men, including two well-known English footballers, Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer, attacked an Asian student in Leeds city centre -- inflicting grievous bodily harm. All the defendants have denied being involved.
As the jury was deliberating its verdicts in the original trial, the judge called the proceedings to a halt, after deciding that a newspaper article about the case was potentially prejudicial. This area of law, known as contempt of court, is familiar to all properly trained journalists in England. They must avoid publishing or broadcasting any material that poses a substantial risk of seriously prejudicing a fair trial. Although the stipulations are laid out in law, the question of what constitutes a substantial risk is open to debate.
prejudicial publicity: information about a case which is not given in court but which could change the jurors' opinion
allegations: an allegation is a statement suggesting that someone has done something wrong
grievous bodily harm: very serious physical injury
denied being involved: said it was not true that they took part
verdicts: a verdict is the decision given at the end of a trial
contempt of court: the criminal offence of disobeying instructions from the judge or a court of law
stipulations: conditions: if you stipulate that something must be done, you state clearly that it must be done
constitutes: if something constitutes a particular thing, you can regard it as being that thing
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