AN inquest into the murder of a Winchester mum has collapsed at an estimated cost of more than £100,000 to the taxpayer.

On day seven of the inquest into the death of Naomi Bryant, coroner Grahame Short told jurors new evidence had come to light.

The jury was discharged by the coroner, who then set a new inquest date for January 31, 2011. The new inquest is expected to last seven weeks.

One witness described the collapse as a "catastrophe" and said it was a "huge waste" of public money.

Central Hampshire coroner Mr Short, explaining his decision to the jury, said: "During the course of yesterday further evidence came to light.

"As a consequence of that, I have come to the decision I will need to call further witnesses and some of them that we have already heard from will need questions put to them again.

"With great reluctance I have come to the conclusion that I have no alternative but to discharge you from your duties and reconvene with these further witnesses."

The inquest was stopped as senior Hampshire probation officer Catherine Morgan was giving her evidence about why Anthony Rice, 48, who murdered Winchester mother Naomi Bryant in 2005, had been released on temporary licence to Elderfield House in Otterbourne, despite having 22 previous convictions including rape, sexual assault and making threats to kill.

He also had one conviction for a serious sex assault on a five-year-old girl but was allowed to stay at the hostel, which was just 100 yards from Otterbourne Primary School.

Jurors had heard of a number of mistakes by Hampshire Probation Service and the trust that runs Elderfield House that left the violent rapist with almost 'total freedom' in the months before the murder. It is understood the new evidence relates to why Rice was turned down for a place at the Box Tree Cottage Hostel in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

The court heard how several public agencies in Yorkshire and staff from the hostel, were aware of his previous sexual convictions against children. But this crucial information was not passed to staff at Elderfield House or Hampshire probation officers, who were unaware of his convictions against children.

Emma Norton, legal officer for Liberty, representing Naomi Bryant's mum Verna Bryant, said: "Four and half years after the murder of Naomi Bryant, the full and true extent of what the authorities did and did not know about Anthony Rice is only now slowly coming to light.

"New information received overnight has made the abandonment of the inquest sadly unavoidable, but it is of paramount importance that no stone be left unturned in the inquiry into Naomi's death."

During the inquest Rice has been described as 'arrogant' and 'unsettled' six months before he was released on licence.

Catherine Morgan was said to be unaware that the killer had previously been given a life sentence when the 'green light' had been given to release him on licence.

Former Elderfield House boss Julian Perkins said Rice was practically unsupervised six weeks before the murder. Mr Perkins agreed to house the rapist because he thought he posed a low risk to the public.