A mistrial has been declared in the Bahamas in the case of two people accused of blackmailing¹ Hollywood actor John Travolta over his son's death.

巴哈马法庭宣布，两名嫌疑犯被指控勒索好莱坞演员John Travolta一案为无效审判。

John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston attended the original trial

Pleasant Bridgewater and Tarino Lightbourne are accused of trying to extort²（勒索，敲诈） $25m (£15m) from the star.

A retrial was ordered late on Wednesday after an MP declared publicly that Ms Bridgewater had been cleared while the jury was still deliberating（故意的，深思熟虑的）.

The judge said she was concerned that there could have been jury misconduct.

Possible misconduct

Picewell Forbes, an MP for the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), made the announcement at his party's annual convention - which was being covered live on television and radio.

Supreme³ Court Justice Anita Allen said she was reluctant to order a new trial but had to do so "in the interest of justice".

She said she was concerned about possible "communication" from the jury room - raising the possibility of jury misconduct.

Alex Storr, a PLP official, said Mr Forbes had misspoken and apologised on behalf of the party, AP news agency reported.

Travolta's son Jett died in the Bahamas aged⁴ 16 in January following a seizure⁵.

The actor testified in the original trial against the pair.

His attorney, Michael Ossi, said his client would fully⁶ co-operate with the prosecution⁷ and do whatever was asked of him.

Ms Bridgewater, a former member of the Bahamian Senate, is accused of trying to negotiate a $25m (£15m) payout for Mr Lightbourne, a paramedic（护理人员）.

It is claimed he threatened to sell stories suggesting Travolta was at fault over Jett's death.

A form signed by Travolta after his son's death would have released the ambulance driver of liability（责任，倾向） had Jett been flown to the US from the Bahamas for treatment, as the actor had initially⁸ wanted.

However, the 16-year-old ended up being taken to a local hospital where he died.

Both Ms Bridgewater and Mr Lightbourne denied the original charges.