23/07/2003

Millionaire tycoon has manslaughter conviction quashed

Millionaire businessman Nicholas van Hoogstraten, who was jailed for the manslaughter of a business associate, has had his conviction quashed and a retrial ordered at the Court of Appeal today.

The property tycoon will remain in custody and face a manslaughter charge in 28 days time. It is expected that he will be back in court within two months.

The 58-year-old was jailed for 10 years last year for paying two men who murdered business associate Mohammed Raja in July 1999. The jury accepted that the property developer had hired the two men to intimidate but not to kill Mr Raja.

However, lawyers for van Hoogstraten claimed at the Court of Appeal today that Mr Justice Newman had given "inadequate" advice to the jury at the original trial last October. The legal team also argued that the prosecution had moved the goalposts by switching the charge to manslaughter. Van Hoogstraten had originally been charged with murder.

Robert Knapp, 55, of Co Limerick, and David Croke, 60, of Moulsecoomb, Brighton, are both serving life terms for the murder of Mr Raja. Croke sought leave to appeal his conviction today but Knapp did not.

(GMcG)

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