A TEENAGER has this afternoon been acquitted of the murder and manslaughter of Lewis Singleton after jurors failed to reach a verdict.

The 17-year-old, who has so far not been identified, has been found guilty of violent disorder on the night when 18-year-old Lewis was fatally stabbed in March last year.

Today, he can be named as Harvell Mason, of Saltmead, St Deny's, after the Daily Echo successfully argued before Winchester Crown Court that his identity should be revealed.

The acquittal brings to an end a four-week trial which saw Rikki Johnson, 19, convicted of murder and his accomplice Sercan Calik found guilty of manslaughter.

A fourth teenager, aged 16, was cleared of all charges yesterday.

Today the Crown Prosecution Service said it would not be seeking a retrial of Mason in the light of evidence available.