A Supreme Court trial of two men accused of carrying out a 15-minute assault on another man as he lay on the ground has been halted because of a legal technicality.

Chief Justice Richard Ground yesterday declared a mis-trial in the case of William Robinson, 45, and Jamar Dill, 32, and ordered the defendants be re-arraigned for trial at a later date.

A jury in the trial had only heard one day?s evidence before the decision was made to halt the trial because of legal reasons.

Robinson and Dill have both denied a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent last July. Robinson has also denied a further charge of robbery on the same day. Robinson was represented in court by lawyer Patrick Doherty, not Alan Doughty as was mistakenly reported in yesterday?s newspaper.