A juror who turned amateur detective and began his own investigation into the manslaughter case he was hearing has caused the trial to be abandoned.

The case at Newcastle Crown Court involved an 18-year-old student accused of causing the death of Raymond Quigley, 72, a taxi driver who suffered a heart attack during a struggle over an unpaid fare.

On the sixth day of the trial Judge David Hodson was handed a three-page list by the jury, containing 37 questions about the case, with maps attached.

Further inquiries revealed that one of the 12 jurors, a middle-aged man, had been carrying out his own investigation into the case.

He had been to the death scene and taken photographs, measured a fence that was at the heart of the evidence and researched forensic science techniques on the internet.

The man discussed his findings with fellow jurors in the court canteen before they asked for their questions to be forwarded to the judge.

These included requests for recordings of interviews as well as information about mobile phone records, bank statements, DNA tests and even the clothing that the defendant was wearing at the time of the incident.

Some of the questions revealed that the juror had gained knowledge of the case that had not been presented to the jury by the prosecution or the defence.

When the judge demanded an explanation, the man said that he had carried out his own research because he wanted to “get a feel for the case” and had been keen to ensure that he and his fellow jurors reached the correct verdict. Judge Hodson stopped the trial on Monday and discharged the jury.

Mr Quigley, from Gateshead, died in the early hours of September 2 last year.

The court was told that Dale Patterson, 18, from Sunderland, had decided to take a cab when he realised that he had missed the last train home from Newcastle upon Tyne, where he had been at a skateboarding event.

Mr Patterson was accused of trying to flee the taxi without paying the fare. He allegedly became involved in a violent struggle with Mr Quigley, who collapsed and died while attempting to restrain the teenager. The student from Newcastle College denied all charges of manslaughter and making off without payment.

He said that he had tried to run away because Mr Quigley had taken him on an unusual route and he had feared that something untoward might have been about to happen to him.

When the case returned to court yesterday, a day after the jury's discharge, the judge ruled that there should be no retrial and directed that Mr Patterson should be found not guilty on both counts.

Judge Hodson said that the evidence offered by the Crown had been insufficient to prove either charge. Had the case continued, he would have directed the jury to return not guilty verdicts, he added.

The judge said that medical evidence showed that Mr Quigley had a serious heart condition that could have led to his death at any time. It had not been proved that his struggle with Mr Patterson was the direct cause of his death, he added.

Mr Quigley's widow, Dorothy, 69, said that the proceedings had been unbearable. She was feeling “a bit devastated” and had been left with a deep sense of injustice, she said.

The cost to the public purse of the abandoned trial is estimated to be more than £60,000, not including the lawyers' fees.

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