A businessman has been found not guilty of murdering his sister's partner when he slashed his throat on Christmas Day.
Adam Jenkins, 36, has been standing trial at Newcastle Crown Court accused of the murder of Simon Birch on December 25 2021. On Wednesday, after almost eight hours of deliberation, jurors found Jenkins not guilty of murder, but were then told to deliberate further regarding the alternative charge of manslaughter.
The jury later returned on Thursday afternoon where they reached a guilty verdict of manslaughter. Due to a reporting restriction, the publishing of the not guilty murder verdict was postponed until the manslaughter verdict was delivered.
