New Delhi, July 5 -- A former Syrian air force colonel is unfit to stand trial in a landmark British case charging him with three counts of murder as crimes against humanity for attacks on civilians in 2011, a judge said Friday.

Not guilty pleas were entered on behalf of Salem al-Salem, 58, in the Central Criminal Court after prosecutors accepted medical findings that his rare neurological condition was too advanced for him to enter a plea or face trial.

Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said al-Salem will face a trial of facts next year on murder and torture allegations but he won't be required to appear in court. The trial will determine whether he committed the acts but cannot result in a conviction because of his condition.

Al-Salem is t...