Four Royal Marines have been cleared by a jury of charges relating to the death of a sailor following a fight in a bar.
Ben Scott, 22, of Southsea, Hampshire, Mark Clarke, 22, also of Southsea, James Taylor, 26, of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and Luke Morton, 21, of Middleton, Greater Manchester, were all originally charged with the murder of 21-year-old Kyle Bartlett.
But during the trial at Winchester Crown Court, the murder charge was dropped against all four defendants with Scott alone facing a manslaughter charge. All four were also charged with affray but the jury acquitted the four serving Marines on all charges.
The prosecution had alleged that Engineering Technician (Marine Engineering) Bartlett was attacked by the four defendants at the Walkabout bar in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on May 5 last year.
The court heard claims that three of the group then formed a barrier around him to prevent security staff from coming to his assistance. But Scott said he had been acting in self-defence and the others said they had not been involved in the fight.
ET Bartlett, who served on board the Type 42 destroyer HMS Liverpool, was taken to hospital where he was placed on a life support system which was switched off the following day when tests showed he was brain dead, the court heard.
In a statement released after the hearing, Detective Superintendent Jason Hogg, of Hampshire Police, said: "The decision made by the jury today brings to a close a long and complex police investigation into an incident after which Kyle Bartlett sadly died in May 2009. I would like to thank Mr Bartlett's family, who have supported our inquiries throughout this process, and all those who came forward and provided information to assist the investigation.
"I would also like to thank those members of the media who helped publicise the appeals for information made in the days and weeks following this tragic death.
"As a matter of course, we will conduct a debrief in relation to the investigation, to establish any points that may prove useful in future inquiries. We will not be looking to make any further arrests or reopen the investigation.
"As a result of our inquiries we presented the evidence gathered to the CPS, who advised there was sufficient evidence to take the case to a trial by jury, and all four verdicts have been given today. We hope that the end of this court case will be able to bring some closure for Mr Bartlett's family, after what has been a very difficult 10 months."
