The trial of a Swindon man accused of domestic abuse has been postponed due to the poor conditions of the courtroom.

Claudio Stroud, of Tennyson Street in Swindon, appeared in the dock at Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday morning facing nine charges.

This latest hearing determined how the 22-year-old's case should proceed as he had not yet entered a plea to any of the alleged offences.

After some deliberation, the court heard that the defendant wanted to go ahead with a trial, which could have started later that day, but a lingering smell from the aftermath of last week's fire in the building was deemed too unpleasant to allow for a full trial to take place. 

Stroud is accused of two counts of assault by beating of an emergency worker, one count of intentional strangulation, two counts of causing actual bodily harm, two counts of threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a private place, one count of threats to kill, and one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.

The charges relate to alleged incidents which are said to have occurred between December 31, 2022, and March 23, 2023. He has been remanded in custody until his trial starts on September 9, 2024.