By Martin HickmanDAY 29 - Former News of the World news editor Ian Edmondson was today discharged from the phone hacking trial. Judge John Saunders told the jury a "consensus" of medical evidence suggested he was unfit to participate in the current case.In a short statement, the judge said it would be "several weeks" before Mr Edmondson would have been fit to stand trial and he was therefore discharging from them a duty to return a verdict in his case. Mr Edmondson, who had been charged with conspiring to hack phones, is expected to stand trial separately when he has recovered.

Judge John Saunders said: "Can I talk for a moment about Mr Ian Edmondson..."I have received and read a number of medical reports about the fitness of Mr Edmondson to continue to participate in the current trial."The consensus of opinion of doctors instructed both by the defendant and the prosecution is that he is currently unfit."The judge added: "It is not anticipated that it will be long before he is fit to continue but it will be several weeks and there can be no guarantee that at the end of that period of time he will be fit. Bearing in mind the current estimate of the length of this trial, I do not think it is appropriate to adjourn to wait for his recovery and accordingly I shall discharge you from giving a verdict in his case.""He will be tried by a different jury at a later date."The trial against the other seven defendants continues.