The trial of Abdulrahman Alcharbati has been halted after a barrister was taken seriously illThe trial of a civil engineer accused of terror offences has been halted after his barrister fell seriously ill.Syrian-born Abdulrahman Alcharbati, 31, denies six counts of sharing terrorist material - ISIS-inspired videos he linked on Facebook - and one charge of possessing a terror document, a bomb-making manual found on his phone. His barrister Bunty Batra was due to make his closing speech at Newcastle Crown Court but he fell ill and was taken to hospital. Judge Paul Sloan QC discharged the jury saying Mr Batra would be unable to work for at least another month. 'With great regret and a great deal of sympathy for Mr Batra and Mr Alcharbati, I am going to discharge you from giving verdicts in this case.' The court heard Mr Batra, an experience criminal lawyer who became a barrister in 1988, had suffered a suspected heart attack.

Source: Daily Mail February 01, 2018 14:35 UTC