Clive Porter murder trial: Evidence against defendant 'insufficient'

Former police officer Clive Porter died on a canal towpath near Aylesbury after being assaulted

There is "insufficient evidence" to convict a man of the murder of a former police officer, a court has been told.

Clive Porter, 63, died after he was found seriously injured on the Grand Union Canal, near Broughton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, on 26 April last year.

He had been working for the Canal and River Trust when he was allegedly assaulted by Daniel Wisniewski, a jury at Reading Crown Court has been told.

Mr Wisniewski, 46, of Wharf Road, Birmingham, denies murder.

Defence barrister Tana Marie Adkin QC told the jury witness accounts did not give the whole picture of what happened during the incident.

She said the defendant said he had tried to protect Mr Porter after he was attacked by two other men.

Ms Adkin told jurors: "Why would Mr Wisniewski say that two other men were there? He could've just said one other man was there.

"Have witnesses jumped to conclusion that Mr Wisniewski was involved?"

The defence barrister also said there were doubts over the evidence given by the two pathologist witnesses.

'Fair conclusions'

The prosecution claims the defendant was involved in a physical altercation that led to Mr Porter's death.

Mr Porter, who had previously served for 30 years as an officer with Hertfordshire Police, was found in a ditch, the jury has been told.

Ms Adkin told the court: "You do not convict people because they have a frown, or because they are foreign, or because they run away and hide and panic, or just because they don't go into witness box.

"You have to consider all the evidence and come to conclusions that are fair."

She said there was insufficient evidence to find Mr Wisniewski killed Mr Porter.

The trial continues.