THE delayed court proceedings in the Caribbean involving a man accused of murdering millionaire businessman Tony Fetherston have been held up yet again.

THE delayed court proceedings in the Caribbean involving a man accused of murdering millionaire businessman Tony Fetherston have been held up yet again.

It is now expected that the committal of Joseph Hazel, who has denied murdering the 65-year-old from Woodbridge two years ago on St Kitts, will finish at the end of January.

This means it has taken four months to hold the committal and the long drawn-out proceedings have delayed the date of the main trial. Statements were first taken in court from witnesses in October and the major delay involved a row over paying the expenses of a forensic scientist to fly out from England to give vital evidence about DNA tests.

She arrived on the small island near Antigua at the weekend and gave evidence in court on Monday.

Mr Fetherston's widow, Margaret, was also due to give evidence about the events that allegedly took place in 2000 when the couple were at their holiday home on the edge of the island's capital, Basseterre.

Mr Fetherston was shot after he answered a ring at the door bell, soon after the couple had started their annual winter sunshine break on the island which they had been visiting for many years.

Dennis Merchant, director of public prosecutions on St Kitts, will be leading the team at Hazel's main trial if he is committed. Mr Merchant was not in court for Monday's evidence but he said afterwards: ''I have been told that the hearing has been adjourned until January 29 and we have another two witnesses to give evidence."