'ANOTHER wasted day in court' at Sarah Groves murder trial as calls for justice grow

The petition calling for foreign secretary Boris Johnson to lodge a formal complaint with the Indian government now has nearly 15,000 signatures.

Today was the 111th day of the trial of Richard de Wit, who denies murdering Miss Groves on a houseboat in Kashmir, India, in 2013.

'Sub-Inspector Kuldeep Koul, who was first examined at scheduled hearing number 107 on 25 November 2017, failed to attend court as per summons for the completion of his cross-examination.

'This reflected very badly on the Public Prosecutor, who was seriously rebuked by the judge for not only failing to ensure that SI Koul attended court but also because no other witnesses had been summoned. This was despite earlier instructions to our legal representative to ensure that this situation did not arise.

'The judge also seriously rebuked the Public Prosecutor for failing to produce a medical report asked for at an earlier hearing relating to the mental health of the accused, Richard de Wit, who was in court,' said Sarah's father Vic Groves.

'Throughout this trial, one of the weakest links has been the calibre of the Public Prosecutors appointed, none has displayed the level of professionalism required for a trial of this importance. Steps are being taken to establish whether there is any way a new prosecutor can be appointed due to the total lack of professionalism demonstrated by the one currently in post.'

As court was adjourned the judge issued a summons for Ashok Singh, the taxi-driver who took Mr de Wit from the scene of the crime, to appear at the next hearing.

'Mr Singh has yet to take the stand and there are reports that his whereabouts are currently not known. He is considered a key witness and his evidence could be pivotal in the trial,' said Mr Groves.

The next hearing in Srinagar is scheduled on Friday 9 March to Saturday 10 March.

The petition can be found at http://chn.ge/2BRiiiw