Leicester, UK (February 16, 2014)—The jury in the trial of a man accused of an attempted murder of Namdhari sect has been discharged.
Harjit Singh Toor admitted wounding after attacking Namdhari leader Uday Singh with an axe soon after he arrived in UK at Leicester Namdhari temple but denied attempted murder.
The 27-year-old man on trial told a court that it was in retaliation to being sexually abused by the Namdhari sect guru two decades ago while in India. The Namdhari guru called allegations of sexual assault made against him “as false and totally absurd”.
The guru also denied having ever met the man who made the allegation.
On Friday, after five hours of deliberation, the jury said there was no reasonable prospect of a verdict. A decision will be made in the next two weeks whether or not to hold a retrial.
Picture of Thakur Uday, before he was attacked in England.
The court was shown footage of the moment Mr Toor pulled out an axe at the Linden Street temple, in August last year, and hacked attacked Namdhari guru as he flinched and screamed out in pain in far for his life.
Thoor said he bore no animosity towards the Namdhari community but accepted it was wrong and the “biggest mistake” he had ever made.
The jury retired on Thursday evening but, even after the judge said he would accept a majority verdict rather than unanimous, it failed to reach a decision.