THE jury tasked with deciding the guilt of a man accused of attempting to steal Salisbury's Magna Carta will retire tomorrow morning.
Judge Richard Parkes told the jury of seven women and five men this afternoon that they have now heard all the evidence into the case of Mark Royden, who denies trying to take the 800-year-old document and causing more than £14,000 of damage to a protective case.
During mitigation, Nicholas Cotter, defending, said that Royden's case was that he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time", adding: "He was the wrong man to be arrested."
However, Rob Welling, prosecuting, says that "it was clear" Royden "planned" the attempted theft "of the historically important document" as he was pictured on CCTV wearing yellow gloves, safety goggles and holding a hammer.
It was also heard that Royden suffered an accident in 1991, which resulted in injuries to his head. This means he has a carer who looks after his financial affairs.
However, Judge Parkes said that although it was fair to be sympathetic towards the defendant, this should not mitigate the action which he is accused of.
As reported, Royden, from Canterbury, Kent, is accused of using a hammer to smash the protective case in his bid to steal Salisbury Cathedral's Magna Carta on October 25 2018.
The case continues.
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