A Belfast man, cleared earlier this month of murdering his girlfriend, was formally acquitted yesterday by a jury of the remaining charges against him. The Crown Court jury had failed to bring in verdicts against Mr Paul Toland (22) of setting fire to the north Belfast flat he shared with his giflfriend, Ms Sharon King (19), and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Ms King's body was found by firemen in the burning first floor flat at Duncairn Gardens on October 13, 1992. The prosecution had claimed Mr Toland killed Ms King and then set fire to the flat to cover up his crime.
Yesterday, a prosecution lawyer said the DPP had decided it would not be appropriate to ask for a retrial. He had been instructed to offer no evidence against Mr Toland on the two charges.