Man Found Not Guilty Of Herefordshire Manslaughter

A man has been found not guilty of killing James Ball, who died after being found with a serious stab wound in a hostel in Ross-on-Wye in March 2011.

Christopher Vivian, aged 23, was found not guilty of manslaughter by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court today.

He had initially been charged with murder in the days following the death and remanded into custody. He pleaded not guilty to the charge at a hearing in July at Worcester Crown Court.

His trial started last Wednesday (12 October) and the charge was reduced to manslaughter during the hearing following legal arguments.

30-year-old James Alan Ball died after being found with a stab wound at a flat in December House, Copse Cross Street, on Saturday 26 March.

During Vivian's trial, the court heard that Ball and Vivian were acquaintances who knew each other through mutual friends. That Saturday evening, Ball arrived spontaneously at December House and called for Vivian, who was staying at the hostel.

The pair spent an hour or so having a drink and listening to music. In court, Vivian accused Ball of trying to steal a number of his possessions, including a laptop and a dongle, and he said this caused an argument and then a fight between the two men. The defence claimed that Ball armed himself with a small kitchen knife.

Vivian said he picked up a large knife and stabbed Ball once in the thigh, which caused a deep wound and severed the femoral artery. This caused major blood loss, and despite the best efforts of paramedics and Vivian himself (who called 999 and was given instruction on first aid), Ball was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Hereford County Hospital.

Detective Inspector Martyn Barnes of Hereford CID said: "Whatever the circumstances, when someone is killed it is always a tragedy and it should be thoroughly investigated by the police.

"We presented our file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, who pursued a charge of murder. It was appropriate for this matter to be put before a jury and we respect and accept their verdict.

"We are confident that Christopher Vivian and James Ball were the only people involved in this incident and we will not be pursuing any further investigations. Our thoughts today are with the Ball family and we extend our sympathies to them for their loss.