The county season gets under way on Sunday as promoted Lancashire return to Division One of the Championship by facing Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Sussex and Middlesex meet at Hove in the only other top-flight fixture, as Durham wait to begin their defence of the title seven days later.
Surrey meet Glamorgan at The Oval in Division Two, with skipper Graeme Smith hoping to inspire a promotion charge.
This summer, a new 50-over One-Day Cup replaces the 40-over competition.
The England and Wales Cricket Board hope to attract even larger attendances to the game's shortest format, which has now been rebranded as the T20 Blast.
In a change from last year, most Championship games will start on Sundays instead of Wednesdays, with the majority of T20 group games on Fridays, beginning on 16 May.
One-Day Cup group games will all take place between 26 July and 21 August, with quarter and semi-finals to follow ahead of the final at Lord's on 20 September.
The BBC will again have commentary on every day of every county match this summer, via the BBC Sport website.
Captain: Wayne Madsen
Overseas players: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies), Marcus North (Australia)
How they did last season: County Championship D1: 8th (relegated), YB40: 6th in group, FL t20: 5th in group.
Season prospects: Derbyshire impressed many last season in eventually putting up a brave fight against relegation. They certainly did enough to make sure they go into the new Championship campaign among the favourites for promotion from Division Two. New elite performance director Graeme Welch has instilled a sense of commitment and professionalism in the squad, and Derbyshire have also kept hold of their top performers from last year. More will be expected of Shivnarine Chanderpaul when he is not on international duty, while Welch is also demanding an immediate improvement in Derbyshire's short-form performances.
One to watch: Undoubtedly the captain, and talisman, Wayne Madsen. Named Championship player of the season 12 months ago, and the first man to reach 1,000 runs, just keeping him around is a huge achievement. Fitter and better prepared than ever, expect him to continue that form.
By BBC Radio Derby's Owen Bradley
Captain: Paul Collingwood (for Championship), Mark Stoneman (for One-Day Cup and T20 Blast)
Overseas players: John Hastings (Australia)
How they did last season: County Championship D1: winners, YB40: 4th in group, FL t20: quarter-finalists.
Season prospects: Durham were seen by many as relegation certainties for 2013. It was amazing then, that they won the title in fine style with a club-record 10 victories to boot. This summer is difficult to assess as the squad has been trimmed again for financial reasons and Ben Stokes, Graham Onions and Scott Borthwick could all be away at times on international duty. The signing of Australian all-rounder John Hastings is an interesting one as they did not employ an overseas player last year. Is he a straight replacement for Stokes? They could well miss the influence around the club of the likes of Will Smith, Callum Thorp and Dale Benkenstein, but the young players who stepped in last year did an astounding job and will have more belief in themselves as a result.
One to watch: There are so many exciting prospects, it is difficult to single any individual out, so take your pick from Usman Arshad, Keaton Jennings, Michael Richardson or Mark Wood as the young players hope to kick on further this season. Mark Stoneman will hope to build on a good 2013 with the bat, and there are not many better new-ball pairs than Onions and Chris Rushworth.
By BBC Newcastle's Martin Emmerson
Captain: James Foster
Overseas players: None signed so far.
How they did last season: County Championship D2: 3rd, YB40: 2nd in group, FL t20: semi-finalists.
Season prospects: Promotion from Division Two of the County Championship has been a priority for Essex in the last two years, but they came up short on each occasion. Getting first innings runs on the board has become a common problem and the batting has looked frail. Last season's 20 all out in their second innings against Lancashire might have been a shock to many, but for regular Essex fans it had been coming. A repeat of last season's Twenty20 Finals Day appearance is a possibility and the return of 50-over cricket will reignite memories of years gone by when Essex were a dominant force in that format.
One to watch: With his express pace, Tymal Mills was mentioned as a possible addition to the Ashes tour party during the winter. While his potential is undoubted, the youngster needs to work on his control and it will be interesting to see how a winter spent with the England Development Squad has benefitted him. His early season progress will be watched with great interest, although nailing down a regular place in the Essex side will need to be his first target as pitches in April may not suit him.
By BBC Essex's Glenn Speller
Captain: Mark Wallace (Championship and One-Day Cup), Jim Allenby (T20 Blast)
Overseas players: Jacques Rudolph (South Africa)
How they did last season: County Championship D2: 8th, YB40: beaten finalists, FL t20: 3rd in group.
Season prospects: It has been a close-season of change off the field, with former Glamorgan captain Hugh Morris installed as director of cricket and chief executive and Toby Radford taking over as head coach from Australian Matthew Mott. With the backbone of Murray Goodwin, Jim Allenby and seamer Michael Hogan retained, the addition of former South Africa Test batsman Rudolph promises to add consistency at the top of the order. A first Lord's final in 13 seasons [in the YB40] marked an improvement last season, but promotion to Division One of the Championship is Radford's main aim.
One to watch: The top order's inconsistency last season means the arrival of former South Africa Test opener Jacques Rudolph is the source of much anticipation at the Swalec Stadium. Coach Radford has singled out Rudolph as a key player to provide runs and bring the benefit of his experience of 48 Test matches and 45 one-day internationals to bear on the club's homegrown batsmen.
By BBC Wales' Richard Williams
Captain: Michael Klinger
Overseas players: Michael Klinger (Australia)
How they did last season: County Championship D2: 6th, YB40: 4th in group, FL t20: 6th in group.
Season prospects: There was progress in the four-day game last season, as Michael Klinger proved a success with the bat and impressed with his captaincy, and if Gloucestershire can make a sound start to the season they could be an outside bet for promotion. Much depends on the support Klinger receives from his fellow batsmen, while on the bowling side a lot rests on the front-line attack remaining injury-free as Will Gidman and Craig Miles are up there with the best in Division Two. In the one-day game, the county were a massive disappointment last year, particularly in the T20 format, and must find greater consistency, but with the ground development coming along apace, there is more optimism in the club now than a year ago.
One to watch: Young paceman Craig Miles impressed all those who saw him last year, particularly at the the start of the season. He picked up 43 Championship wickets but suffered towards the end of the summer as he was forced to bowl more often than the club would have liked due to injuries to his bowling colleagues. His contract ties him to the county until 2017 and if nurtured correctly he could be leading the attack for seasons to come.
By BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Bob Hunt
Captain: Jimmy Adams (for Championship and One-Day Cup), James Vince (for T20 Blast)
Overseas players: Kyle Abbott (South Africa); Glenn Maxwell (Australia, for Twenty20)
How they did last season: County Championship D2: 4th, YB40: semi-finalists, FL t20: semi-finalists.
Season prospects: To mount a push for promotion in the Championship, Hampshire need their bowlers taking 50 wickets or more this season. The evergreen James Tomlinson will be expected to match his 53 from last season, and if David Balcombe can return to the devastating form that saw him pick up 59 in 2012, then Hampshire should prove a match for any side in the division, especially as they can also call on South African pace bowler Kyle Abbott and Matt Coles, who was signed at the back end of last season after claiming over 50 victims for Kent two summers ago. Hampshire's one-day record in the last few seasons is second to none, but it is difficult to see how a team in transition in the Championship can keep the same momentum in the shorter formats and they will certainly miss Neil McKenzie's cool head.
One to watch: James Vince passed 1,000 Championship runs for the first time last season, confirming the 23-year-old's undoubted natural stroke-making ability. A regular in England Lions squads, Vince will look to push himself into contention for the senior side as the fallout from the winter continues.
By BBC Radio Solent's Kevan James
Captain: Rob Key
Overseas players: Doug Bollinger (Australia)
How they did last season: County Championship D2: 7th, YB40: 4th in group, FL t20: 5th in group.
Season prospects: Kent step into the unknown in 2014 with a squad capable of matching the best in Division Two, but one that lacked consistency last year. Fans have yearned for an overseas fast bowler for years, so the addition of Doug Bollinger for the entire campaign to lead the bowling unit is a huge fillip. And if Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sam Northeast can turn their undoubted potential into 1,000 plus runs, and Adam Riley capably fills James Tredwell's spinning shoes whilst he is on international duty, Kent could surprise other teams this season. Rob Key's return as captain will add much-needed stability and although expectations on his side are low, the potential is there.
One to watch: Darren Stevens ended 2013 fearing his career could be over with an anti-corruption tribunal hanging over him. Despite the uncertainty, he was still Kent's leading run-scorer in all competitions, including an emotional 205 not out against Lancashire, and this summer should see Stevens like a man reborn, having been cleared of all charges. His swashbuckling batting will be feared in all forms of the game and his military medium-pacers are an underrated weapon.
By BBC Radio Kent's Ben Croucher
Captain: Glen Chapple
Overseas players: None signed so far.
How they did last season: County Championship D2: winners (promoted), YB40: 3rd in group, FL t20: quarter-finalists.
Season prospects: If Lancashire play as well as they played last season, they will be a match for anybody in Division One of the Championship. Their bowling attack, led by Kyle Hogg, Glen Chapple and Simon Kerrigan, is as good as anything in the top-flight, but the one slight concern is whether they can score enough runs, especially following the exit of Simon Katich. Ashwell Prince, in his final season before retiring, will be crucial and if Lancashire can make big scores, they could compete for the title. Since Peter Moores became coach in 2009, the only time they have finished outside the top four of their division was their relegation season of 2012, so they are used to challenging towards the top end of the table, and the arrival of England limited-overs wicketkeeper Jos Buttler should help them do so again.
One to watch: Luis Reece was handed his Championship debut halfway through last season and averaged more than 55 from 10 matches to help the Red Rose to promotion. He looks an accomplished batsman, with a calmness that you need to be a success at the top of the order, and he is brave as well. The one thing he needs to improve on, by his own admission, is turning big scores into hundreds. He got past 50 eight times in 2013, but was unable to make it to three figures.
By BBC Radio Lancashire's Scott Read
Captain: Ramnaresh Sarwan (Championship), Josh Cobb (one-day)
Overseas players: Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies)
How they did last season: County Championship D2: 9th, YB40: 5th in group, FL t20: 4th in group.
Season prospects: Failing to win a single match and finishing 70 points adrift at the bottom of Championship Division Two last summer means 2014 can surely only be a season of improvement. There is hope that Ramnaresh Sarwan, who played just five Championship matches in 2013, should be available for most, if not all, of the season, and in the considerable promise shown by Ned Eckersley, who scored 1,302 first class and 386 one-day runs last season.  The bowling too appears to have a stronger core, with Charlie Shreck, Kent's leading Championship wicket-taker in 2012 and 2013, adding his experience to a youthful seam department, while off-spinner Jigar Naik is fit again after two seasons truncated by injury, and is joined in the squad by England Under-19 prospect Rob Sayer.
One to watch: Eckersley performed superbly in adversity last season and after an injury-affected 2013, Dan Redfern, signed from Derbyshire, will be determined to build on the promise he showed in scoring 848 first-class runs in 2012.
By BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae
Captain: Chris Rogers (for Championship), Eoin Morgan (for One-Day Cup and T20 Blast)
Overseas players: Chris Rogers (Australia)
How they did last season: County Championship D1: 5th, YB40: 3rd in group, FL t20: 4th in group.
Season prospects: Although finishing lower in the Championship table than in the previous season, Middlesex feel that last year again marked a further improvement for the county, and they were more competitive in the limited-over competitions as well. This summer Eoin Morgan will captain the one-day side and the Irishman will also play a large part in the early stages of the Championship following his decision to forego the Indian Premier League, adding invaluable experience and expertise to the middle order. Steven Finn should also see a lot of action for Middlesex as he looks to rebuild his confidence and challenge for an England place again. And if Toby Roland-Jones and James Harris can stay fit, then they have an attack, led by the ever-reliable Tim Murtagh, capable of ending the county's long wait for the title. The key word for the team, in all competitions, will be consistency.
One to watch: Persistent niggles prevented Toby Roland-Jones showing his true worth last season and it was to the detriment of the team. Many eyes last season were on James Harris and he too will hope to prove why the entire county circuit wanted him upon his departure from Glamorgan.
By BBC London 94.9's Kevin Hand
Captain: Stephen Peters (for Championship), Alex Wakely (for One-Day Cup and T20 Blast)
Overseas players: Richard Levi (South Africa, for limited-overs cricket)
How they did last season: County Championship D2: runners-up (promoted), YB40: 2nd in group, FL t20: winners
Season prospects: Northants supporters have come down to earth with a bump following the understandable euphoria of last summer. Australian fast bowler Jackson Bird will not be coming to Wantage Road because of a back problem, one-day captain Alex Wakely could miss the entire summer with an Achilles tendon injury and there are early-season fitness worries about several others players, including pivotal all-rounder David Willey.  On the plus side, batsman Rob Newton is back in the reckoning after an injury-hit 2013, while left-arm spinner Graeme White returns to the club where he began his first-class career after a spell at Nottinghamshire. Both could have important roles to play for Stephen Peters' side as they face their first Championship Division One campaign since 2004.
One to watch: Wicketkeeper batsman Ben Duckett underlined his enormous promise during the winter with some eye-catching performances at the Under-19 World Cup, but is one of the county's injury concerns. Seam bowling all-rounder Ollie Stone is another talented youngster who could have plenty of work this year.
By BBC Radio Northampton's Andrew Radd
Captain: Chris Read (for Championship), James Taylor (for One-Day Cup and T20 Blast)
Overseas players: Peter Siddle (Australia)
How they did last season: County Championship D1: 7th, YBO: winners, FL t20: quarter-finalists.
Season prospects: Nottinghamshire salvaged something from a disappointing 2013 campaign by winning their first one-day final for 24 years at Lord's last September. For a side bursting with seasoned internationals, their Championship form was poor, forcing director of cricket Mick Newell to re-assess their overseas player strategy and switch from his usual preference of an experienced batsman. With Australia pace bowler Peter Siddle brought in instead to bolster the bowling unit, Notts should be more competitive in four-day cricket and, with proven hitters at the top of the order, will always be competitive in the shorter formats. Expect at least one of the three trophies to be heading towards Trent Bridge.
One to watch: It is not only Nottinghamshire supporters that are looking forward to seeing Peter Siddle in English domestic cricket for the first time. A proven competitor at the very highest level, he should relish the conditions in England and is already an early tip to be leading wicket-taker in Division One. If he stays fit and is available all summer, Siddle may well prove to be the signing - and player - of 2014.
By BBC Radio Nottingham's Dave Bracegirdle
Captain: Marcus Trescothick.
Overseas players: Alviro Petersen (South Africa)
How they did last season: County Championship D1: 6th, YB40: semi-finalists, FL t20: quarter-finalists.
Season prospects: Even the most avid Somerset fan is unsure what to expect in the Championship this summer. Last year's brush with relegation certainly came as a surprise to most and how the players respond to that remains to be seen. Some brittle batting performances were the biggest problem last year, but a top order containing Nick Compton, Alviro Petersen, Marcus Trescothick, James Hildreth and Craig Kieswetter should surely be able to provide more solid foundations. Having been one of the most consistent one-day teams in the country over the last five years, Somerset should again be a force to be reckoned with, although the loss of Jos Buttler is a real blow.
One to watch: The only new face this summer is South African Johann Myburgh who should add more solidity to Somerset's batting, as well as a useful spin option. But their success this season is likely to revolve around how many of the club's talented youngsters can become real match-winners. If half of a group including Craig and Jamie Overton, Lewis Gregory, Craig Meschede, Alex Barrow, Chris Jones, George Dockrell and Jack Leach step up, they could be title challengers.
By BBC Radio Bristol & BBC Somerset's Ed Hadwin
Captain: Graeme Smith
Overseas players: Graeme Smith (South Africa)
How they did last season: County Championship D1: 9th (relegated), YB40: 5th in group, FL t20: beaten finalists.
Season prospects: Surrey head into the new season with bags of potential and a new regime under head coach Graham Ford, while having Graeme Smith available for the whole season to lead the side is huge. Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen will also be available outside of his overseas T20 commitments. Promotion from the Championship will be a target, but the management team will also be focusing on seeing improved performances from individuals and the team in the longer form of the game. There will be a more youthful look to the side and patience will be needed because the rate of improvement will differ among individuals. Surrey will be confident of making an impact in the shorter forms of the game and it will be a fascinating season to see the progress that is made over the summer months.
One to watch: Jason Roy possesses so much natural talent and can take an attack apart on his day. He has already shown what he can do in the shorter form of the game, but in the Championship he is yet to reach his full potential. There is no reason why he cannot score a stack of runs in the longer form of the game - two sessions of Jason Roy batting can turn a game on its head.
By BBC London 94.9's Mark Church
Captain: Ed Joyce
Overseas players: Steve Magoffin (Australia), Yasir Arafat (Pakistan, for T20 Blast)
How they did last season: County Championship D1: 3rd, YB40: 3rd in group, FL t20: 6th in group.
Season prospects: Sussex's preparations for the new season have been hampered by injuries to key players. Opener Chris Nash is recovering from a burst appendix and is likely to be missing for several weeks, while Luke Wright suffered a side strain on England duty and could miss the first two Championship matches. Add to that the possibility that Chris Jordan could be on England duty during the summer, and Sussex may be missing an opening batsman, all-rounder, and opening bowler, at various stages. On the positive side, Matt Prior will be determined to erase the memory of a disappointing 2013, and his presence in the middle-order will be a major boost in the early season. The seam bowling department will be heavily dependent on the reliable Steve Magoffin, while Ashar Zaidi and Will Beer will be competing for the vacant spinner's berth following the departure of Monty Panesar.
One to watch: Luke Wells showed last season that he has the ability to bat for long periods, with his 208 at The Oval being a model of concentration and excellent shot selection. Playing grade cricket in Australia over the winter will have improved his game further, and with Chris Nash initially absent, Wells has added responsibility at the top of the order.
By BBC Sussex's Adrian Harms
Captain: Jim Troughton
Overseas players: Jeetan Patel (New Zealand), Shoaib Malik (Pakistan, for T20 Blast)
How they did last season: County Championship D1: 4th, YB40: 7th in group, FL t20: 4th in group.
Season prospects: Warwickshire will take encouragement from having finished in the prize money in the Championship last season despite a long list of injury problems and international call-ups. Fast bowler Chris Wright was especially missed in the second half of 2013 and avoiding similar problems this season will determine the county's prospects of success. A year after Dougie Brown replaced Ashley Giles as director of cricket, Warwickshire have lost another key member of their backroom team, with bowling coach Graeme Welch returning to Derbyshire, but Alan Richardson, lured back from Worcestershire, is a popular replacement. The county will expect to be competitive in the Championship, but need to improve in both short formats of the game, though whether supporters from other parts of the county should care how the "Birmingham Bears" get on in the T20 Blast is a moot point.
One to watch: Seam bowler Richard Jones has been snapped up from Worcestershire, and Warwickshire will hope he can stay fit and build on some of the promise he showed at New Road. His former Worcestershire team-mate Alan Richardson should be in a good position to get the best out of him.
By BBC Coventry & Warwickshire's Clive Eakin
Captain: Daryl Mitchell
Overseas players: Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan)
How they did last season: County Championship D2: 5th, YB40: 5th in group, FL t20: 5th in group.
Season prospects: How Worcestershire will cope after the departure of Alan Richardson is the question on many supporters' minds. The pace attack looks a little thin and with four spinners on the books, including Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal, it is unlikely there will be many 'green tops' at New Road. Inconsistent batting, Moeen Ali apart, cost Worcestershire last summer, although Matt Pardoe emerged as a solid opening partner to skipper Daryl Mitchell. Ross Whiteley was another who looked good at times and with a full season, could become a useful all-rounder. One-day success of any sort has eluded Worcestershire for some seasons and their Twenty20 form is among the worst in the country. Maybe the change of name to the Rapids will speed things up.
One to watch: Tom Kohler-Cadmore broke David Nash's record for most runs in a season for Malvern College. It will be a big step-up to full-time county cricket, but he looks a quality player. He has signed a three-year deal with Worcestershire, such is the faith coach Steve Rhodes has in him. Other youngsters like Ed Barnard and Joe Clarke, impressed with England Under-19s over the winter.
By BBC Hereford & Worcester's Dave Bradley
Captain: Andrew Gale
Overseas players: Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Aaron Finch (Australia)
How they did last season: County Championship D1: runners-up; YB40: 6th in group, FL t20: 6th in group.
Season prospects: Yorkshire finished runners-up to Durham in the Championship race last summer and there is no reason why they will not be up there again competing for the title. The Tykes have a strong squad, well coached by Jason Gillespie, and have an exciting crop of young players to back up those with more experience. Gillespie has instilled an element of steel into the ranks and Yorkshire have only lost two Championship games in the last two seasons. They were poor in both limited-overs competitions in 2013 and director of cricket, Martyn Moxon has called for a big improvement, especially in the T20, and with big-hitting Australian Aaron Finch set to arrive in May, they could repeat their trip to finals day in 2012. Without a trophy since 2002, this should be a season when some silverware is finally obtained, most probably in the Championship, having gone so close last year.
One to watch: Jonny Bairstow is a great talent who will feel he has something to prove after England gave him limited opportunities in the winter down under.
By BBC Radio Leeds' Dave Callaghan
Compiled by BBC Sport's Paul Grunill.


The FBI says it is investigating reports in the US media of recent cyber-attacks against several US banks.

The reports suggest between two and five banks have been targeted, including Wall Street giant JP Morgan Chase.
JP Morgan Chase declined to comment on the reports directly, but said companies of its size experienced cyber-attacks "nearly every day".
The FBI did not indicate who it suspected of being behind the attacks.
A statement from the bureau said it was working with the US secret services to determine the scope of the attacks.
But Bloomberg News, which first reported the attacks, said the investigation was looking at the possible involvement of Russia, amid worsening relations with the US over crises in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Bloomberg quoted security experts saying that the capabilities of the hackers to breach several layers of security appeared to be "far beyond the capability of ordinary criminal hackers".
But others questioned why this attack involved the apparent theft of data, rather than the disruption of services more characteristic of retaliatory attacks from state actors.
"This is very different from the alleged Iranian attacks earlier in 2012 and late 2013 that were purely of a denial-of-service nature," said Amichai Shulman, chief technology officer at security firm Imperva.
"I find it odd that someone who was actually able to break into a bank is not using it for making immediate profit.
"Everyone is trying hard to tie this with the whole political situation with Russia. However, it is well known that for a few years now, a large portion of banking attacks and financially related hacking has consistently been coming from Eastern Europe."
A spokeswoman for JP Morgan Chase said: "Companies of our size unfortunately experience cyber-attacks nearly every day.
"We have multiple layers of defence to counteract any threats and constantly monitor fraud levels."


A driver who was jailed for killing a pensioner after jurors rejected his claim that he fainted at the wheel is to appeal against his conviction.

Vincent Friel was given three years for killing Charlotte Collins, 68, and injuring her cousin Margaret Haldane, 69, in Glasgow, on 18 January 2014.
The 44-year-old from Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, was also banned from driving for five years.
He now plans to appeal his conviction for causing death by dangerous driving.
Friel's lawyer Richard Freeman said: "Mr Friel's position is that he was stopped at the red light when he blacked out.
"Because his car is an automatic it moved forward when his foot came off the brake and it struck Ms Collins and Ms Haldane.
"We are looking at lodging an appeal against this conviction."
Friel was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday having earlier been found guilty of the charges against him.
The court previously heard that Friel's Range Rover ploughed into the women at a pedestrian crossing in Barrhead Road, near Glasgow's Silverburn Shopping Centre.
Friel, who owns a property letting business employing 20 people, was taking blood pressure medication at the time of the collision.
He had also been prescribed Viagra and medicine to take away headaches that were brought on by having sex.
His lawyers claimed the combined medicine caused his blood pressure to drop to such a low level as to cause him to faint and he was not in control of his actions at the time.
The court heard from one doctor, described as a world-renowned expert in his field, who said it was "likely or possible" that Friel had suffered a "vasovagal" episode, another term for a faint.
However, cardiologist Dr Andrew Flapan told jurors he thought it was "extremely unlikely" that Friel had fainted at the wheel of his 4x4.
He pointed to the fact Friel looked normal after the crash and was able to reverse his car off one of the women and use his mobile phone to call for an ambulance, saying he would not be able to do these things for at least 20 minutes after fainting.
A jury of nine women and six men took just one hour and 40 minutes to find Friel guilty of causing the death of Ms Collins and the serious injury of Miss Haldane by driving dangerously.


Baltimore police officer Caesar Goodson has been found not guilty in his trial for the murder of black detainee Freddie Gray.

He was found not guilty on a second-degree depraved heart murder charge, the most serious count sought against the six officers charged in the case.
The officer drove the van in which Mr Gray rode before he died.
The verdict is a blow to prosecutors, who have yet to win a conviction connected to Mr Gray's death.
Freddie Gray, 25, was arrested in April 2015 for running away from police officers. He died a week after sustaining a spinal injury while in the back of a police van.
His death sparked civil unrest in Baltimore, part of a wider national debate on police brutality and the death of unarmed black men at the hands of police.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams also acquitted Mr Goodson on charges of manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment after the five-day trial.
The judge said the state failed to show that Mr Goodson was aware he had injured Mr Gray or that he needed medical care.
Prosecutors had argued that Mr Goodson was criminally negligent when he failed to use a seat belt to secure Mr Gray and intentionally gave him a "rough ride" while transporting him to the police station.
The van made six stops during the ride to the police station. Mr Goodson was the only officer present at each of the stops.
"The state had a duty to show the defendant corruptly failed in his duty, not just that he made a mistake," the judge said in his ruling.
The same judge cleared Officer Edward Nero on misdemeanour charges in connection to Mr Gray's arrest last month and declared a mistrial in December after a jury failed to agree on charges against Officer William Porter.
Officer Garret Miller and Lt. Brian Rice are the two remaining policemen scheduled to stand trial in July on charges of assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in officer.
Mr Rice also faces a charge of manslaughter.
State Sen Catherine Pugh, the Democratic nominee to become Baltimore's next mayor, issued a statement urging protesters to be patient.
"Protests are a vital part of democracy, but to destroy the homes and businesses many people have worked very hard to build is unacceptable," she said. "Although people may disagree with the verdict, it is important to respect each other and to respect our neighbourhoods and our communities."


Police have arrested a woman who appears to have recorded an Instagram live video both during and after a car accident which killed her sister.

Family members confirmed to local media that Obdulia Sanchez, 18, is the driver seen in the social media video.
The woman identified as Ms Sanchez is seen singing before the crash and then turns the camera on her sister to record her severe injuries.
She is suspected of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
"Jacqueline, please wake up," the woman can be heard saying in the video as she films the victim's bloodied face.
"I f****** killed my sister, OK? I know I'm going to jail for life," she says after positioning the camera to film both herself and her sister.
Officials say Jacqueline Sanchez, 14, was thrown through the back windscreen of the 2003 Buick when Ms Sanchez over corrected after swerving nearly off the edge of the road.
The car then swerved to the opposite site of the road, crashed through a barbed wire fence and overturned in a field.
An unidentified teenage passenger was also ejected from the back seat, suffering a serious injury to her right leg.
Neither passenger was wearing a seatbelt, officials say.
"I killed my sister, but I don't care," the woman says in the video as the other passenger is seen trying to wave down cars along the rural road.
"This is the last thing I wanted to happen to us, but it just did."
The footage was originally posted on Instagram but a copy was recorded by a friend of a friend of Obdulia Sanchez and shared on a Facebook account.
Relatives told local media that Jacqueline was about to celebrate her Quinceanera, a Hispanic coming-of-age tradition celebrated on a girl's 15th birthday.


A gunman has killed three people in a shooting spree at the Palace of Justice in Milan in northern Italy.

The suspect, Claudio Giardiello, was arrested in a suburb after fleeing the scene on a motorbike. He was reportedly a defendant in a bankruptcy case.
He is believed to have shot dead a co-defendant, his former lawyer and a bankruptcy court judge.
Earlier reports of a fourth death were proven wrong. The shooting has prompted scrutiny of security measures.
Questions are being asked about how Mr Giardiello managed to smuggle a weapon into a well-guarded building, use it several times and escape.
The suspect was arrested by carabinieri officers in Vimercate, about 25km (15 miles) north-east of central Milan, near the town of Monza.
Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said the "presumed assassin" had been taken to a military police barracks in the Milan area.
The sound of gunfire had sparked panic inside the Palace of Justice on Wednesday morning.
Hundreds of people poured down stairways towards the exits while police and military police officers searched for the gunman.
"All of a sudden we heard at least three or four shots," lawyer Marcello Ilia told the AFP news agency outside the building.
"We tried to find out what was going on. There were suddenly lots of police officers who told us not to leave the room, they shut us in," he said.
"After a few minutes we came out. They told us someone in a suit and tie was armed and at large in the court."
The newspaper La Repubblica, quoting officials and witnesses, said that the gunman had been attending a bankruptcy hearing when a fight broke out inside the third floor courtroom.
He pulled out a weapon and shot the lawyer, named as Lorenzo Alberto Claris Appiani, as well as one of his co-defendants, named as Giorgio Erba.
According to La Repubblica, Mr Appiani was a former lawyer for Mr Giardiello who was acting as a witness in the case.
The gunman then left the courtroom and headed to the office of appeals court judge, Fernando Ciampi, shooting him dead. It is not known if the gunman had any links to the judge.
Several media outlets had earlier said that a fourth person had died in the incident of a possible heart attack, after reports of a body found at the building with no obvious injuries.
But the reports - based on a statement from the emergency services, according to AFP news agency - have been proven incorrect, with the body in question now believed to have been that of Mr Erba.
Another two people were wounded in the shooting and are being treated at a hospital.
After hiding inside the Palace of Justice for more than an hour, the gunman fled on a motorbike, according to La Repubblica.
Mr Giardiello was described as "aggressive" and "a little paranoid" by his former lawyer, Valerio Maraniello, in comments quoted by AFP news agency.
Visitors to the Palace of Justice have to pass through metal detectors.
Lawyers and courthouse employees with official identification are, however, regularly waved through, according to the Associated Press.
Ansa reported that one of the metal detectors was broken on Wednesday morning.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi described the attack as "a moment of great pain, of sadness".
He praised the police who arrested the man but said it was "unthinkable" that someone could enter a court with a weapon,  and promised an inquiry into the incident.
The Palace of Justice is in the centre of Milan, only a few streets away from the city's cathedral and main shopping district.


Fernando Alonso has indicated he will leave McLaren-Honda at the end of the year if he does not see signs they can be competitive by September.

The two-time world champion is out of contract at the end of this season.
"We have to win," he said. "If we are winning before September, when I will make a decision, I will stay."
When pointed out this was unlikely, he said: "I joined this project to win the title. If you are not in a competitive position, maybe you change project."
However, the Spaniard said he had not yet started to think seriously about his future.
"Until I sit down with myself in September, I cannot say for sure," Alonso said.
Alonso joined McLaren at the start of 2015, when they began their relationship with engine partner Honda. But the team have been uncompetitive for all three years, largely because of a lack of performance from the Honda engine, and that is causing tension within the team.
McLaren executive director Zak Brown said on Wednesday that he had "serious concerns" about Honda, which he said appeared "lost".
He added that the McLaren-Honda relationship was nearing "a fork in the road" and that McLaren were "not going to go into another year like this, in hope".
Alonso said: "We all want to win and Zak's comments about Honda is what you would expect him to say. He wants to win, he wants McLaren to win and things have to change."
Brown's remarks signal a shift in McLaren's public position on Honda, which had previously been that they are "100% committed" to the relationship.
Until recently, senior figures were briefing that McLaren would definitely stick with Honda in 2018 but the ground appears to have shifted and there are growing indications that they may split.
In that circumstance, McLaren would seek to try to secure a deal for Mercedes customer engines, which would almost certainly provide a competitive boost.
However, it would affect the team's financial position as the Honda deal equates to a net $100m gain for McLaren over using a customer engine because the Japanese car manufacturer not only provides free engines but also pay half the drivers' salaries and contribute a significant amount of sponsorship.
McLaren want to keep Alonso in 2018 but if they switched to customer engines would not be able to afford to offer him his current salary of $40m a year.
However, he appears not to have too many options. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are considered unlikely to want to sign him and while Renault is keen, it also could not afford to pay him anything like the amount of money he is earning this year.
Alonso, who missed the last race in Monaco to compete in the Indianapolis 500, said his main intention was to stay in F1 next year.
"In F1, the third world championship is still my biggest priority," he said. "I developed my skills to drive F1 cars for 16 years so it is the best car I can drive."
But he said his performance at Indy, where he led several times and was contending for the win in the closing stages only for his engine to fail, had encouraged his belief that he could win there and at Le Mans in the future.
"I jump in any car in any categories with any tyres and rules, I go there and I am competitive," he said. "I am not afraid of the future. If I cannot win the third world championship here, I will race in any series and know I can win."


The girlfriend of missing airman Corrie Mckeague has shared a photo of herself in the later stages of pregnancy in an emotional online post.

April Oliver, 21, from Norfolk, posted the black-and-white image alongside a message on Facebook.
She wrote: "Your daddy would be proud of you my little one and would love you as much as I do."
RAF gunner Mr Mckeague, 23, has been missing since he disappeared on a night out in September.
A search of a landfill site is currently taking place.
It emerged Miss Oliver was pregnant with the couple's child in January.
Follow updates on the search for Corrie Mckeague
The mystery of the missing airman
The photograph, uploaded on Thursday, shows Miss Oliver sitting on the end of a bed, cradling her baby bump.
She is holding a pair of baby boots, similar in style to the ones Mr Mckeague was wearing on the night he went missing.
The personal trainer had met Mr Mckeague via a dating site five months before he went missing on 24 September.
She is due to give birth in late spring or early summer.
On Facebook, she wrote: "I can't help but be truly unconditionally in love with my baby and your [sic] not here yet.
"You bring so much pain yet just as much joy."
Mr Mckeague was last seen in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
Search teams are in their tenth week of trawling the landfill site at Milton, Cambridgeshire.
I struggle with finding the right words because Sometimes when you have to be strong and [put] on a brave face you forget about the precious moments that pass by.
Yesterday was an emotional but exciting day, and sometimes it only takes one person to help you see what you have.
I miss and love Corrie with every part of my body and little things set off different emotions.
I can't help but be truly unconditionally in love with my baby and your [sic] not here yet.
You bring so much pain yet just as much joy and Your daddy would be proud of you my little one and would love you as much as I do.
Corrie will be a part of both of us forever and no one can take that away
Mummy loves you little baby


The Lyric Theatre in Belfast has appointed musician Duke Special as its new artist-in-residence.

As part of his residency he will write a musical adaptation of Huckleberry Finn, which will be performed in the Lyric in spring 2017.
Born Peter Wilson, Duke Special is one of Northern Ireland's best known musicians and a former Irish Meteor music award winner.
The position is worth Â£15,000 a year.
Previous artists-in-residence at the theatre have included playwrights Owen McCafferty and Abbie Spallen.
Duke Special has released nine albums, and he has previously written music for theatre.
He composed and performed the music for the National Theatre in London's 2009 production of Berthold Brecht's play Mother Courage and Her Children.
Earlier this year, he also wrote the score for Youth Music Theatre's production of Gulliver's Travels, which was performed in the Lyric.
Duke Special said he was "thrilled" to be appointed.
"I hope to learn as much as I can, absorb all that's going on there and to write lots and lots of songs," he said.
Lyric Theatre executive producer Jimmy Fay said his residency would give the theatre "something completely new and different".


A woman from the West Midlands died in a US canyon while hiking, police say.

Ravinder Takhar, 45, from Shirley in Solihull, had set off with her husband and son on a trek in Arizona but told them to go ahead when she felt tired.
Her family became concerned when she failed to return from the trek to to Echo Canyon, near Camelback Mountain in Phoenix. Her body was found inside the canyon, police said.
Phoenix Police said initial reports suggested her death was heat-related.
Mrs Takhar died on 7 July but the force has just released a statement on her death.
Officer James Holmes said Mrs Takhar and her family had been visiting Phoenix and decided to hike to the canyon, a popular beauty spot.
"Visitors often enjoy both the beauty and challenges of the canyon," he said.
"The family began their hike at around 10:15 that morning and at around 13:15 they started the trek back down the mountain.
"According to the husband and son, Mrs Takhar became tired and told the others to go on ahead while she rested for a bit.
"The father and son reached the bottom of the hiking trail and, after about 20-25 minutes, became concerned that Mrs Takhar had not returned."
The family contacted the emergency services and the trail was searched.
"Sadly, at around 18:30 she was found deceased inside the canyon," the officer said.
"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Takhar family."
The Foreign Office said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Phoenix, USA on 7 July.
"We are providing consular assistance to the family at this very difficult time."


A bronze sculpture discovered during a "routine house valuation" in the Scottish Borders has sold at auction for £386,500.

The 18th Century work, Ganymede and the Eagle, is by Italian sculptor Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi.
It was sold at auction in Edinburgh this week by Lyon & Turnbull.
It had been estimated to sell for between £100,000 and £150,000 but ended up going under the hammer for more than twice the top estimate.


Unemployment in Scotland fell by 16,000 between November and January to stand at 129,000, according to official data.

At the same time the UK's jobless total fell by 31,000, reaching 1.58 million - its lowest level since 1975.
The Scottish jobless rate is now 4.7%, which matches the figure for the whole of the UK.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) data also showed that employment north of the border increased by 16,000 to 2,608,000.
It now stands at 73.7% - below the UK average of 74.6%.
The claimant count fell by 1,300 in February to 75,000.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: "This is good news, with more people in work and unemployment down.
"We want to see this continue and for the Scottish economy to start to close the worrying gap we've seen open up with the rest of the UK."
The Scottish government said Scotland continued to outperform the rest of the UK on youth employment and unemployment.
Employability and Training Minister Jamie Hepburn said: "While we still have much to do, our work to develop opportunities for young people through apprenticeships and training and to close the gender pay gap is helping us set ourselves apart from the rest of the UK.
"In terms of youth unemployment rates, we are second only to Germany within the EU."
Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Liz Cameron said: "The latest set of unemployment figures for Scotland is very encouraging and show that our unemployment rate has fallen back towards parity with the UK rate.
"However, despite a rise in employment levels, our employment rate remains below the overall UK rate and below the Scottish rate for the same period last year.
"With employment growing and unemployment falling, our governments north and south of the border urgently need to plan for how businesses' future skills needs will be met, both from our domestic pool of talent and from overseas talent."


Kate Bush could be heading for number one for the first time in 30 years as her latest album, Before the Dawn, is currently topping the UK midweek chart.

The live album features recordings from her 2014 Hammersmith Apollo London residency of the same name.
But Before the Dawn is just 5,000 sales ahead of current number one, Little Mix's Glory Days, so may be overtaken.
Bush's last chart-topper was compilation album The Whole Story, which took the top spot in 1987.
The Official Album Chart top five at the midweek stage also includes Michael Ball and Alfie Boe's Together in third, Elvis Presley's The Wonder of You in fourth and new entry Starboy by The Weeknd in fifth.
TV presenter Bradley Walsh, who hosts The Chase, is at number 10 with Chasing Dreams.
Busted's first studio album in 13 years, Night Driver, is also heading for the top 10, and is currently at number eight.
Clean Bandit look like they could hold on to number one in the singles chart with Rockabye, a collaboration with Anne-Marie and Sean Paul.
The Weeknd has no less than 18 tracks in the top 100, with Starboy, featuring Daft Punk, his highest placing at number three.
US hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd's Black Beatles is currently at number two.
Little Mix's Shout Out To My Ex is at four, while James Arthur rounds out the mid-week top five with Say You Won't Let Go.
Rising star Rag'n'Bone Man - who made it on to this year's BBC Music Sound of 2017 longlist - is on track to make his Top 40 debut later this week with his single Human.
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On the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence, it might seem an odd choice to mount an exhibition marking 130 years of French colonial rule over the country.

But at the Army Museum at the Invalides in Paris, that is exactly what they have done.
Algeria 1830-1962 is a look back over France's long military presence there.
It starts with the arrival of an invading force at Sidi-Farruch in June 1830, and ends with the ignominious post-independence pull-out.
Visitors are treated to historic relics such as the ceremonial keys to the city of Algiers and the spurs of rebel leader AbdelKader.
But by far the greatest interest lies in the second part of the exhibition, which deals exclusively with the eight-year war of independence.
Fortunately, this is no tub-thumping homage to "our-men-in-khaki" of the kind normally associated with military museums.
On the contrary, it is an honest attempt to understand a traumatic period of history which affected millions of people in sharply different ways.
"Our conception was to place the Algeria war in its long-term context," said Colonel Christophe Bertrand, the exhibition's curator.
"Obviously the emphasis is on the last eight years of France's presence, but a lot of what went on in the war can only be explained by what happened before.
"The story we tell is not one of brave paratroopers fighting nasty fellagha [bandits]. It is a story punctuated by phases of terrible violence, in which it is impossible to avoid some very sensitive questions."
The Algeria war began with a series of bomb attacks carried out by the National Liberation Front (FLN) in November 1954.
Since 1881 the country had been administered (unlike Morocco and Tunisia) as an integral part of France, with departments, communes and French place-names like Philippeville and Oran.
There were also around one million European settlers - not just French but also Italians, Spanish and Maltese - and a large indigenous community of Jews.
The war passed through various stages
Then came the Challe offensive of 1959 which effectively finished the ALN as a fighting force, and the hearts-and-minds campaign of the Constantine Plan which took army doctors and teachers out into the remote countryside.
For many historians, the irony is that, from a purely military point of view, the French army won.
But by the end of the 1950s, military victory had ceased to count.
To Gen Charles de Gaulle - who took power in 1958 - it was obvious that the vast majority of Algerians supported national independence, while mainland French simply wanted the sorry story to end.
Talks with the FLN began as early as June 1960, prompting an angry backlash by the European settlers. There were riots in Algiers, and in 1961 part of the army there staged an unsuccessful military coup.
Peace was signed at Evian in March 1962. Independence officially arrived on 5 July, though it is hard to pinpoint one day in what was in fact a long and often violent process.
One million settlers - the
          pieds-noirs - were uprooted and transported to France.
And a far worse fate lay in store for the tens of thousands of Algerians who had fought on the side of France. Some 30,000
          harkis - and possibly many more - were massacred by the new Algerian authorities.
Lucky Algerian loyalists made it to France, though once there the indifference towards them shown by de Gaulle's government was a bewildering humiliation.
Today arguments rage over casualty figures for the war, but here are the numbers offered in a recent book by British historian Martin Evans,
          Algeria - France's Undeclared War
All this is told in the exhibition, which draws on the army's own extensive film archives as well as photographs, uniforms, weapons and captured FLN documents.
There is no hiding the FLN's use of terrorism and murder to force Algerians to drop their allegiance to the French.
But nor does the museum avoid the vexed issue of France's own use of torture, which is now known to have been routine.
Previously unpublished photographs show a man trussed up and slung beneath a wooden bar being beaten on the soles of his feet. In another, French officers grip a prisoner by the throat.
"Torture was one of the subjects which we could not just sweep under the carpet," said Col Bertrand.
"If we had, we would have completely lost our credibility."
Testament to the exhibition's success is that it is drawing in visitors of all backgrounds. Not all are happy, but they are certainly fascinated.
One
          pied-noir, now in his 80s, was angry at the portrayal of the war: "Why rake it all up again? It was a disaster, and now look at the mess the Algerian government has made of the country."
There are also many young Algerians, keen to see a version of their history outside their official textbooks, and French army veterans, from among 1.4 million conscripts who saw service in the war.
"There is no one truth about the Algeria war," said the museum's director Gen Christian Baptiste.
"There are many truths, and we have done our best to reflect all of them.
"The difficulty is that even after 50 years the suffering is still very raw. In many cases, the pain has been handed down from one generation to the next."
The past does indeed still cast a shadow over France's relationship with Algeria. Though the two countries are bound together by a web of human and economic ties, somehow the suspicion never disappears.
In recent years an attempt to draw up a Treaty of Friendship has come to nothing, largely because of Algeria's insistence that France first commit some act of official contrition.
But such an act is most unlikely to emerge.
"Acts of repentance for specific events are one thing but a general statement of repentance is meaningless," said historian Maurice Vaisse.
"Algeria was part of the global historical phenomenon of colonialism. Of course France profited greatly from it and there were great injustices, but by the time France left, Algeria was a developed country with elements of a modern economy.
"Many terrible things happened, but they were also committed on the Algerian side."
For historian Benjamin Stora, France and Algeria are "condemned to co-exist".
"But it is true that the question of memory is a problem," he adds.
"They say that memory divides. Only history heals. That is why it is the task of historians and politicians to tell the full story - from all sides."
The Army Museum's exhibition is part of that process.


A plane headed for Aberdeen was turned back to Norwich Airport after the crew reported smelling an "unusual odour" in the cockpit.

Eleven passengers and three crew were on Friday morning's Eastern Airways flight T3 722, which safely returned to Norwich at 07:26.
The airline said there was a smell but no smoke.
The passengers were transferred to another flight so they could continue their journey to Aberdeen.
Eastern Airways said the Saab 2000 aircraft had returned to Norwich as a precautionary measure.
A spokesman said: "The captain operating this morning's T3 722 flight from Norwich to Aberdeen made a precautionary return to Norwich to have the aircraft checked following an unusual odour in the cockpit.
"The airport fire service was initially put on standby, but was stood down on arrival. Our engineers will be carrying out an inspection of the aircraft.
"We apologise to passengers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our passengers and crew is our primary concern."


Voting has begun in Dorset's police and crime commissioner (PCC) election.

Polling stations opened their doors at 07:00 BST and will close at 22:00.
Voters are also going to the polls in Weymouth and Portland where a third of seats on the borough council are up for election.
Across England elections are taking place for more than 120 councils and the London Assembly, and to elect  mayors in Bristol, Liverpool, London and Salford, and 36 PCCs.


The value of virtual currency Bitcoin has reached an all-time high, trading at more than $33 (£22).

Its appreciation - up from just $2 in November 2011 - has been attributed to increased trust in security efforts.
The surge coincided with Japan-based MT Gox, Bitcoin's biggest exchange, announcing a tie-up with US firm CoinLab to bring its operations to the States.
However, recent high-profile thefts continue to worry some investors.
In September last year, 24,000 Bitcoins - which at the time were worth £157,800 - were stolen from another large exchange, Bitfloor.
In June 2011, a huge instance of fraud led to a market crash, with the value of Bitcoins at one point plummeting to almost zero.
But since then the currency has steadied somewhat, thanks in part to adoption by key websites such as Reddit and Kim Dotcom's file storage site Mega.
Other reasons given for the rise in value include the popularity of gambling websites accepting the currency. Bitcoin casinos have been reported to be bringing in about $500,000 (£330,000) profit every six months - with more growth expected.
Unlike other currencies, Bitcoins are not issued by a central bank or other centralised authority. Instead they are created in a process called "mining", in which coins are issued to a user when they solve a complicated mathematical problem using their computer.
Part of the attraction is they can be used to make transactions that are difficult to trace, offering privacy to their users, and the currency has been adopted by Wikileaks and other sites to receive donations.
Bitcoins can also be exchanged for "real" money - the value of which is tracked by services like Mt Gox.
Mt Gox's move to the States was announced in a statement from Peter Vessenes, chief executive of CoinLab, the firm that will administer the exchange in the US, in partnership with Silicon Valley Bank.
"There are two major difficulties Bitcoin exchange customers have traditionally faced: banking troubles for the underlying exchange, and security of their coins," he said.
"When our team discussed how to tackle these issues in the US, it seemed clear that Mt Gox had by far the best security record in the Bitcoin exchange landscape.
"After I personally came to Japan and audited their fraud and security procedures, I understood why - they are light years ahead of other exchanges at this stuff - the fraud and security experience (some of it hard-won) they bring to the table is incredibly impressive."


A serial robber who held up a teenage shop worker at knifepoint has been jailed for six years.

John Coyle, 44, was caught because of a distinctive grey streak in his hair, the High Court in Glasgow heard.
Coyle held up an 18-year-old shop assistant at a Scotmid store in Glasgow's Easterhouse last October.
He was ordered to be monitored in the community for eight years after his release because of his high risk of re-offending.
The court heard how he walked into the store and asked for a packet of cigarettes. The assistant gave them to him and asked if he wanted anything else.
At this point he pulled out a large, black-handled knife and thrust it towards her stomach and shouted: "Open the till."
But he fled empty handed when the terrified 18-year-old woman screamed and shouted for her mother, who was also an employee there.
The incident was captured on the shop's CCTV.
The court heard Coyle had a "very distinctive" grey streak on his hair which could be seen on the footage.
Police later held Coyle, of Cranhill, for the raid after he was recognised by officers who viewed CCTV footage.
It emerged he had already served a number of lengthy jail terms for similar crimes and had been released on licence 11 months earlier.
He had been freed early at the time, having been jailed for almost eight years in 2009 for robbery.
Lord Burns ruled that Coyle will have to serve the unexpired four-year portion of his previous sentence before starting his new sentence.
Defence counsel Geoffrey Forbes said: "He feels shame and disgust at his conduct and would like to apologise to the shop assistant."


A man who was rescued from a house fire on Sunday morning has died in hospital.

Neighbours saw smoke coming from the house on Lowes Hill in Ripley, Derbyshire, just before 10:30 GMT.
An air ambulance was called and the man, described as elderly, was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Fire officers said the most likely cause of the blaze was coals falling out of an unguarded fire.
Andy Parker, who was renovating a house nearby, said: "There was smoke, the ambulance, fire engines and then the firefighters got the breathing apparatus on and went in. Very dramatic.
"We were told to keep inside as there was a small risk of explosion and a neighbour said it was a fire in the kitchen."
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said it would be offering extra fire safety advice to people living in the area.


A council spent £100 on oatcakes served at a ceremony honouring Robbie Williams, it has been revealed.

Williams was presented with the Freedom of Stoke-on-Trent at the city's Town Hall in July.
A Freedom of Information request found £100 was spent on catering after the singer requested guests be provided with cheese and bacon oatcakes.
The remainder of the £259 total was spent on flowers and ceremonial scrolls, the authority said.
A series of events was held in Stoke earlier this year to mark the star's 40th birthday.
Williams, who grew up in the city, told the private ceremony he was "honoured" by the accolade.
Oatcakes, which resemble a pancake with a sweet or savoury filling, are considered a traditional Staffordshire delicacy.
In recent years there has been a push for the dish to be awarded protected status, as in the case of Cornish pasties or Melton Mowbray pork pies.


Dame Helen Mirren has said it would be "wonderful" if it became more fashionable not to wear make-up.

The actress recently appeared without heavy make-up alongside actresses including Nicole Kidman and Lupita Nyong'o for the 2017 Pirelli Calendar.
Dame Helen said: "I think it would be wonderful if it became a fashion.
"Things are always cyclical, so I suspect we might've reached saturation with the whole selfie thing and maybe we're moving in another direction."
She added: "It would be great if we are, without being puritanical, because I love make-up, dressing up, so I don't want to be 'Oh we've all got to go without make-up'."
Julianne Moore, Rooney Mara and Robin Wright all joined Dame Helen for the au naturel photographs in the Pirelli calendar, while singer Alicia Keys recently announced her decision to go make-up free.
Dame Helen's latest film Collateral Beauty sees her play "Death" - who visits a man grieving for his recently-deceased daughter.
Will Smith, Naomie Harris and Edward Norton also star in the film, which is released as the industry heads into awards season.
One year on from the "Oscars So White" controversy, all eyes will be on the upcoming awards season to see how much things have changed since the boycott over the lack of ethnic minority nominees.
Dame Helen told the BBC: "I think it has changed considerably. Obviously Will has been at the forefront of that for quite a long time.
"I think what has changed is actually the acceptance of the audience. It's the chicken and the egg, you don't know which is following which."
She added: "It's very difficult to unpick it because obviously if the films aren't made with black leads, black themes, black stories, how can there be an audience for it?
"But on the other hand, especially internationally, there's always been a sort of a resistance, Will was one of the few stars that really broke through that.
"But things have really changed, globally, and because of that you see Hollywood changing. I think my dear friend Naomie [Harris] will be nominated for an Oscar this year, I'm pretty sure."
The actress added that Harris's other new film Moonlight "will get a great deal of attention just because it's a great movie with great acting in it".
Collateral Beauty has received poor reviews from many critics. The Guardian and The Telegraph each gave it one-star, while the film currently has a 14% rating on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Front Row about the reviews, Dame Helen said: "I knew that was going to happen, because there's a cynicism in the world of journalism that is admired, and this is not a film where cynicism has any play whatsoever.
"It's about a truth about life, a rather difficult truth. I knew reading the script this was a high wire act, I knew the danger."
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Neil MacGregor has announced he is to step down as director of the British Museum.

MacGregor told colleagues he had made the "very difficult decision" to leave in December this year, stating he wanted to stop working full-time.
Since joining in 2002,  MacGregor has been credited with reforming its one-time "stuffy" image to make it one of the world's most visited attractions.
He said the role had been the "greatest privilege of my professional life".
Major success stories under his watch have included its History of the World project, which attempted to tell the world's history in 100 objects. The project included a 100-part series on BBC Radio 4.
The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army exhibition in 2007 and Turner Prize-winner Grayson Perry's Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman in 2011 also drew in the crowds.
And overall, visitor numbers to the museum in central London have also risen from 4.6 million a year to 6.7 million since 2002.
Perhaps Neil MacGregor's greatest achievement as the boss of the British Museum has been transforming it from a slightly old-fashioned institution with a chilly welcome, into one of the world's most popular visitor attractions without feeling the need to dumb down.
In fact, his success stems from having the confidence to assume the public are not stupid, but are open-minded and intellectually curious.
As a leader he has been dynamic, innovative and popular, although I understand he was never particularly keen on the details. The task facing the trustees is to find a successor who can firstly consolidate MacGregor's achievements and build upon them.
It won't be easy.
Having made the decision to leave, the end of 2015 seemed "a good time to go", said MacGregor.
"The new building has been completed, so we at last have proper exhibition space, new conservation and scientific facilities, and first class accommodation for our growing research activities," he said.
"We have built strong partnerships with fellow museums across the UK, and are rapidly expanding our programme of loans and training around the world.
"The museum is now ready to embark on a new phase - deploying the collection to present different histories of the world.
"It is an exhilarating prospect, and it will start with the new Islamic Galleries and with plans for the future of the Old Reading Room."
MacGregor joined the British Museum from another major cultural institution, London's National Gallery.
When there, he oversaw the completion of the Sainsbury Wing and the refurbishment of the whole main display.
Although he will no longer be working full-time, MacGregor said he would be involved in a number of projects.
They include working with the BBC and the British Museum on a new Radio 4 series on faith and society.
He'll also be giving advice and guidance to the German Minister of Culture, Monika Grutters.
And in Mumbai, India, he'll be offering his expertise to the CSMVS Museum.


A man who coerced a woman into having sex with a stranger before sending "revenge porn" to her family has been jailed for six years.

Clive Weatherhogg set up meetings between the woman and a man he found through an adult website, and filmed them having sex.
A court heard he sent a message containing a sexually explicit clip to the victim's sister on Christmas Day.
Weatherhogg, 42, was also placed on the sex offenders register.
He had denied the charges but was found guilty following a trial at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Sheriff George Way remitted the case to the High Court in Edinburgh to be dealt with because its greater sentencing powers.
Weatherhogg, formerly of Guthrie, near Forfar, was found guilty of coercing the woman to engage in sexual activity and intercourse with the man between 10 September, 2013 and 17 September the following year.
He was also convicted of intentionally causing the woman's sister and father to look at sexual images and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on 25 December, 2014.
The woman told the trial she had felt "blackmailed" by Weatherhogg.
Lady Wolffe told the Weatherhogg that she had to pass a sentence on him that "reflected society's abhorrence" at such conduct.
The judge said that Weatherhogg, a first offender, had been assessed as posing "a moderate risk" of sexual re-offending.
Defence counsel Jonathan Crowe said it had been "a dramatic shock" for Weatherhogg to be placed on remand ahead of sentencing.


A kayak fisherman has been rescued after losing his paddle and getting stuck at the foot of a steep cliff.

The incident happened near St Abbs Head at about 13:30 on Sunday.
Eyemouth RNLI inshore lifeboat rescued the man from the rocks while St Abbs independent lifeboat was able to recover his kayak.
The fisherman and his kayak were then safely returned to dry land after which both lifeboats were stood down and no further assistance required.


Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has labelled criticism of stand-in defender Nir Bitton "absolutely incredible".

Injuries to centre-backs Erik Sviatchenko and Dedryck Boyata have forced Rodgers to play midfielder Bitton in defence.
The Israeli was part of the rearguard that shipped four goals in Kazakhstan to Astana, but still helped Celtic reach the Champions League group stage.
"The criticism [of Bitton] is absolutely incredible," Rodgers said.
"This is a guy who is a central midfield player - that's his position. I felt it was pretty clear that we actually had three centre-halves unavailable to play, two of which have been unavailable for most of our qualification campaign, and the solutions for us were very, very minimal.
"This [Bitton] is a guy who after the first leg [against Astana], and after Kilmarnock last weekend, his foot was in a boot, he couldn't walk for two days, and right up until our last training session at the stadium in Astana, he just took his boot off and went out and trained.
"Now probably nine out of 10 players wouldn't have played that night, but he put himself out there for the team and for the cause to get through, and I've got nothing but pure admiration for him.
"And I know all the other players did, because he could have very easily pulled himself out of it and not played."
Until Tuesday's 4-3 play-off second leg defeat by the Kazakh champions, Celtic had not conceded a goal in five qualifying matches.
With European powerhouses Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain, as well as Belgian champions Anderlecht awaiting his team in the group stage, Rodgers accepts Celtic's defence must improve.
But the former Liverpool boss insists some perceptions of 25-year-old Israeli international Bitton are unfair.
"I saw one report about it [fielding Bitton against Astana] being a £30m risk - you could argue it was totally the opposite," he said. "If we didn't have Nir Bitton, we might not have been in the Champions League.
"I didn't hear many people saying he stepped out of defence and made the pass that created the [third] goal for Leigh Griffiths, or at Rosenborg when he came in and was fantastic, and in the home games. So guys like Nir Bitton were critical for us.
"It's as a team we need to defend better at that level, of course, and that's something we'll always strive to do."
Last year, Celtic earned three draws in a group containing Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Moenchengladbach, and Rodgers believes the experience of tackling Europe's elite will stand his players in good stead for the campaign to come.
"The players will gain huge confidence from when they started the Champions League campaign last year to when they finished," Rodgers said. "We had some very credible performances against very top sides in that, and there was a lot of learning that took place.
"I expect our game to develop as well. We get the opportunity, with all due respect, to work on counter-attack. A lot of our game domestically is based around possession, counter-pressing and creativity of chances. That's a different level altogether, where you're tested defensively in your organisation and of course at times then you're sitting in your block having to counter-attack, so this allows us the opportunity to develop that side of our game as well."
Meanwhile, Rodgers hopes South Africa defender Rivaldo Coetzee passes a medical this weekend, and completes his move from Ajax Cape Town, while reaffirming his aim to add more new players to his squad before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month.


England secured a narrow 1-0 victory over co-hosts Ukraine to finish as winners of Group D and set up a quarter-final tie against Italy on Sunday.

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It wasn't the prettiest of performances from Roy Hodgson's men but the defence did well and England have avoided Spain in the last eight.
Here are my England player ratings for the match against Ukraine.
Join the debate on Twitter using #BBCFootball.
Guy's view:  Commanding presence as always from the Manchester City keeper. He was constantly organising and cajoling his back four into shape. He made one fine save to deny Yevhen Konoplyanka that was far better than it looked because the ball was really wobbling about.
Guy's view: I have been so impressed by the defensive side to his game at this tournament and once again he showed great awareness by chasing from the right into the middle to cover when needed.
Guy's view: His positioning is as good as any centre-back in the game. There was just one moment of worry when Marko Devic twisted and turned and got into a good shooting position. The ball was over the line, but if Terry had not got back when he did then it would have been a goal.
Guy's view: Steady and solid as he has been in all three group games. I actually think this was his best performance in Ukraine so far. He also got back to make a crucial tackle on Andriy Yarmolenko.
Guy's view: Another good, strong display and the Chelsea defender got forward a bit more in this game than he was able to in the previous two games. He did everything right defensively - but you wouldn't expect anything different from him. Almost scored his first international goal.
Guy's view: The statistics at half-time showed what they always do - that Milner covered more ground than any other England player. Most of it was in a straight line up and the down the right-hand side. He did not create much from an attacking sense, but you can see exactly why Roy Hodgson picks him.
Guy's view: Another towering performance from the England captain, who was named Uefa's man-of-the-match. It might have passed through a few bodies, but he claimed another assist at this tournament. Has to be seen as England's key player.
Guy's view: As usual, he did the dirty unsung-hero stuff in the middle superbly. He missed quite a few games in the season for Tottenham and looked to be struggling in the warmth towards the end of games, but you know he'll keep on going until he drops.
Guy's view: Had an awful start and was out of position when he was meant to be getting back to help the defence. He looked nervous and short on confidence but grew into the game and got better. By the end of the match, he had given a decent performance.
Guy's view: The young Manchester United striker did well again and he just needs to make himself more of an attacking threat to be an all-round top striker at international level. He really holds the ball up well and has a great understanding with club team-mate Wayne Rooney.
Guy's view: Clearly short of match sharpness. Looked as though he had missed his big opportunity with the header he sent wide when he'd normally score that with his eyes closed. Rooney ended up being the match winner and every team needs a man like that.
THEO WALCOTT (RIGHT MIDFIELD) 70 MINS (for JAMES MILNER) - 6
Guy's view: Walcott came on for the final 20 minutes and didn't do anything wrong. Equally, he didn't do anything spectacular and didn't touch the ball that often.
Andy Carroll (forward) 82 mins for Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (forward) 87 mins for Wayne Rooney were not on long enough to merit a rating.
You can hear Guy's commentary on the Euro 2012 quarter-final tie against Italy in Kiev on BBC1, BBC HD and streamed live on the BBC Sport website on Sunday.


It is unrealistic to expect Greece to repay its huge debt in full, the chief economics spokesman for the victorious Syriza party has told the BBC.

"Nobody believes that the Greek debt is sustainable," Euclid Tsakalotos said.
The far-left Syriza, which won Sunday's general election, wants to renegotiate Greece's €240bn (£179bn; $270bn) bailout by international lenders.
EU leaders have warned the new Greek government that it must live up to its commitments to the creditors.
Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras - who was sworn in as prime minister on Monday - is expected to unveil his new cabinet later on Tuesday.
"I haven't met an economist in their heart of hearts that will tell you that Greece will pay back all of that debt. It can't be done," Mr Tsakalotos said.
He said that EU leaders needed now to show that they were willing to work with Syriza.
"It's going to be a very funny and a very dangerous Europe with very strong centrifugal political forces if they signal that after a democratic vote they're not interested in talking to a new government.
"It will be a final signal that this is a Europe that can't incorporate democratic change and it can't incorporate social change."
But Mr Tsakalotos stressed that it would be "my worst nightmare if the eurozone collapses because Greece falls".
"And if Greece falls and is removed from the eurozone - the eurozone will collapse. We said from the beginning the eurozone is in danger, the euro is in danger, but it isn't in danger from Syriza... it is in danger from the very policies of austerity".
If Syriza were to win its negotiations with the rest of the eurozone, other anti-austerity parties would look more credible to voters. The victory of protectionist Marine le Pen in France's presidential election would be an interesting test of markets' sangfroid.
And if Syriza were to lose in talks with Brussels and Berlin, and the final rupture of Greece from the euro were to take place, investors might well pull their savings from any eurozone country where nationalists are in the ascendant.
So why are investors not in a state of frenzied panic? Why have the euro and stock markets bounced a bit? One slightly implausible explanation is that investors believe the eurozone would actually be stronger without Greece, so long as no other big country followed it out the door.
More likely is that they believe reason will prevail, and Berlin will sanction a write-off of Greece's excessive debts.
Robert Peston: Full analysis
A turning point for the EU?
Tears of joy at Syriza party
What next?
Mr Tsipras earlier stressed that he wanted negotiation - not confrontation - with international lenders.
"The new Greek government will be ready to co-operate and negotiate for the first time with our peers a just, mutually beneficial and viable solution," he said.
The troika of lenders that bailed out Greece - the European Union, European Central Bank, and International Monetary Fund - imposed big budgetary cuts and restructuring in return for the money.
Meanwhile, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that Greece cannot expect any reduction of its debt commitments.
He said it "is not on the radar" of the commission.
German government spokesman Steffan Seibert stressed it was important for Greece to "take measures so that the economic recovery continues".
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the Eurogroup, said on Monday: "There is very little support for a write-off in Europe."
Syriza's victory has caused some concern in the financial markets.
In a volatile start to the week the euro briefly touched an 11-year low against the dollar early on Monday, before recovering to trade almost 0.7% higher against the US currency.


Two Royal Marines killed in a bomb blast in southern Afghanistan have been named by the Ministry of Defence.

Marine Sam Alexander, 28, of west London, and Lt Ollie Augustin, 23, of Kent, both of 42 Commando, died on Friday after an explosion in the Nad Ali district of Helmand province.
Marine Alexander's wife, Claire, said he was "so special" and Lt Augustin's parents said their son was "beautiful".
Some 368 UK service personnel have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001.
Marine Alexander, from Hammersmith, was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry two years ago after saving the life of a wounded colleague in Afghanistan.
According to the citation for his award, he charged at the Taliban with his pistol to provide cover "despite being completely exposed to heavy and accurate enemy fire".
He joined the Royal Marines in 2006 and had trained as a heavy weapons specialist.
He married his wife, Claire, two years ago and the couple had a son, Leo, born in July last year.
"Sam was so special. He was the gentlest of men but tough when he needed to be. He risked his safety for his friends but never batted an eyelid," she said.
"It was his job and a job he did well. Sam was a loving husband and a wonderful father. He was our rock and my best friend. He has been taken from me all too soon.
"We both love him and will miss him very much. These are all special guys who, for whatever reason, join a very tough band of blokes who willingly die for each other without a second thought. I just hope his death was not in vain."
Commanding officer of 42 Commando, Lt Col Ewen Murchison, said he was "truly remarkable".
"Decorated during his last tour of Afghanistan for gallantry, he embodied all the finest attributes of a Royal Marines Commando," he said.
"He was courageous, selfless, resolute, loyal and cheerful in the face of adversity."
He and Lt Augustin, from Dartford, were on patrol "disrupting insurgent activity" when they were killed.
Lt Augustin is survived by his father, Sean, his mother, Jane, and his sister, Sarah.
In a joint statement, his parents said: "Ollie was a much loved and cherished son. He was a beautiful boy who we were very proud of.
"He had many friends that he loved and who loved him in return. His warmth and humour lit a room and infected all around him.
"He dealt with people in a thoughtful and compassionate way. His independence and sense of adventure meant that he embraced life and his chosen path. Ollie we will all love and miss you forever."
Before joining the marines, Lt Augustin left Dartford Grammar School aged 18 to travel for a year and spent two months volunteering at a school in Kenya.
Lt Col Ewen Murchison said he had "considerable potential and a bright future ahead of him".
"As a leader he was inspirational, passionate and selfless, putting the welfare of his men above all else - they adored him and looked to him for direction, but looked on him as a brother in arms," he added.
The battalion-sized formation of 42 Commando is based at Bickleigh Barracks in Plymouth, Devon.


The father of a young man from Northern Ireland whose body was found in a hotel room in Ibiza has said he is still trying to find out how his son died.

Alan Drennan, a mechanic and doorman from Newtownabbey in County Antrim, had left with friends for a holiday to the Spanish island on Saturday.
The 21-year-old is understood to have died less than 24 hours later.
His father, also named Alan, said he has not yet been contacted by Spanish authorities.
He added that his son "hadn't even his case opened" when his body was found in the room.
Spanish police told BBC News NI there were no signs of violence and the death appeared to be of natural causes.
However, they are waiting for an autopsy to be carried out and could not say when that would take place.
Mr Drennan Sr said he was told of his son's death by the fathers of two of the friends on holiday with him.
They visited his house on Sunday evening to inform him.
Mr Drennan Sr said: "[One of the men] turned round and said: 'Listen, I have bad news about your son.'
"He said: 'Your son was found dead this morning.'
"I couldn't take it in, I couldn't get my head around, and I went to bits.
"I had left Alan to the airport at five o'clock on Saturday evening and kissed him goodbye."
Mr Drennan Jr had been staying at a different hotel to his friends and had returned there on Sunday morning after a night out.
"I was talking to one of his friends, and they're just so sad - they're trying to piece it all together," Mr Drennan Sr said.
"They had left him on Sunday morning, they had partied until seven o'clock in the morning.
"Then at five o'clock on the Sunday evening they didn't hear from young Alan.
"They went round to his hotel. [The receptionist] started crying and said: 'You need to get in touch with the police - [he] was found dead this morning.'"
He added that his son and his girlfriend had made arrangements to move to Australia to "start a new life" on his return from Ibiza.
A repatriation trust set up in the name of Kevin Bell, a Newry man who died in a suspected hit-and-run in New York in 2013, is covering the cost of bringing Mr Drennan Jr's body back to Northern Ireland, his father said.
He said his son "had a heart so big" and and "just loved what he was doing".
"Everybody that knew Alan has a loving word, he was such an honest person. He was so helpful, he was a super young lad.
"I lost my mother when I was five and my father when I was 13, and I never thought that I would be losing my son."


(Close): Wall Street markets closed lower on Thursday as oil prices stagnated and shares in Walmart fell.

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 40.61 points to 16,413.22.
The S&P 500 closed 9.03 points lower at 1,917.79, while the Nasdaq composite fell 46.53 points to 4,487.54.
Shares in Walmart fell 3% after the company cut its 2017 sales forecast, blaming the strong dollar and the impact of previously announced store closures.
Chevron shares fell 1.8% and Valero Energy dropped 3.8% as the price of crude oil slid downwards.
Brent crude lost 1.7%, falling to $33.92 a barrel, while West Texas crude declined 0.8% to $30.42 a barrel.
Bank shares also declined on Thursday.  JP Morgan fell 1.6% and Goldman Sachs fell 2.13%.
Analysts said Wall Street's fall was probably due to investors locking in some profits.
"We've had a pretty significant bounce," said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities. "Today is just a bit of profit-taking from those that have benefited from the significant move."


Kilmarnock manager Lee Clark says his side finally got the luck their play deserved in defeating St Johnstone 3-0.

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Kris Boyd's double helped Clark to his first victory since taking over as Kilmarnock boss.
"When we got a little bit of luck in the final third we won the game, which we have been threatening to do for a few weeks now," said Clark.
"We have not had the luck and I thought it was going to go against us again when Kris Boyd hit the post."
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Despite bottom club Dundee United losing, Clark would not be drawn on whether or not the spectre of automatic relegation was now unlikely for the Rugby Park side. Instead he is focused on escaping the bottom two places.
"I won't change my tune," Clark told BBC Scotland. "What other teams do we can't affect until we play against them, so we just have to concentrate on our results.
"Five huge games coming up now from the split and it is in our hands because if we beat the teams in and around us it gives us an opportunity to get above them and get out of the position we are in."
It was a second straight defeat for St Johnstone, but manager Tommy Wright felt the scoreline was harsh on his players.
"If you look at the scoreline, you would think we have been battered," he said. "That has not been the case.
"We started the game well, were in total control, had the crowd going at them a little bit. They put one decent ball into the box and nearly scored off it. That gave them a lift and for five minutes we lost our way and conceded a goal in that period."
Despite the defeat St Johnstone will finish the season once again in the top six, and Wright says his players deserve praise for their overall performances over the course of the season.
"When you look at what we have done this year, the players have a lot to be proud of," he said.
"[We] sold one of our best players [Michael O'Halloran to Rangers] as well in the middle of it and we have dealt with everything that has been thrown at us. We will recover and hopefully go again in the split, fourth place is very much up for grabs."


The family of a baby boy who have been fundraising for him to have life-saving heart surgery in the US has been told the NHS will now fund his treatment.

Doctors in Boston have agreed to operate on Oliver Cameron, who was born with a rare heart tumour, after his first birthday in January.
Earlier, his parents warned time was running out to raise the £150,000 needed for his treatment.
The NHS said it would pay because the procedure was not available in the UK.
Lydia and Tim Cameron, from Wantage in Oxfordshire, have already raised £130,000 for the surgery to have Oliver's tumour removed.
They have not indicated what they intend to do with the funds raised.
Previously doctors advised that to maximise Oliver's ability to recover his parents should ideally wait until his first birthday but, if his condition worsened, he may require the operation immediately.
A statement from NHS England said it had "agreed to fund Oliver's treatment abroad" because there was "not currently a surgical service in the UK with experience of treating this exceptionally rare condition".
Oliver's condition - cardiac fibroma - is extremely rare and the number of patients with this type of tumour in England is estimated to be in single figures.
He needs around-the-clock care to stabilise his heart rate and an implant under his skin sends readings back to specialists at Southampton General Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment since doctors in Oxford discovered the tumour.
Specialists in Southampton said removing the tumour would be "extremely high risk" because there was limited experience in treating his condition in the UK so they had decided to support his parents' bid to find treatment elsewhere.
The NHS said it was also discussing whether a UK surgeon might accompany Oliver to Boston to learn from the surgeons in the US so the innovative surgery could "potentially be offered in the UK in future".


Astronomers have spotted two huge waves of gas being "burped" by the black hole at the heart of a nearby galaxy.

The swathes of hot gas, detected in X-ray images from Nasa's Chandra space telescope, appear to be sweeping cooler hydrogen gas ahead of them.
This vast, rippling belch is taking place in NGC 5194 - a small, neglected sibling of the "Whirlpool Galaxy", 26 million light years away.
That makes it one of the closest black holes blasting gas in this way.
The findings, presented at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Florida, are a dramatic example of "feedback" between a supermassive black hole and its host galaxy.
"We think that feedback keeps galaxies from becoming too large," said Marie Machacek, a co-author of the study from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CFA).
"But at the same time, it can be responsible for how some stars form. This shows that black holes can create, not just destroy."
Black holes are well known for consuming gas and stars, but the two arcs of material glimpsed here are the equivalent of a burp after a big meal, the team said.
The black hole at the centre of NGC 5194 probably gorged on gas that was delivered by the small galaxy's interaction with its much bigger, spiralling neighbour. As that matter fell into the black hole, huge amounts of energy would have been released - causing the outbursts.
Eric Schlegel from the University of Texas at San Antonio, who led the study, explained that the crucial observation was the cooler hydrogen gas being propelled ahead of the hot, X-ray emitting waves.
"This is the best example of snowplough material I've ever seen," he said.
Deep red light, indicating the presence of hydrogen, was seen in a thin strip just in front of the outermost wave, in optical images from a telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.
"If it had not been for the hydrogen-alpha image, I would have been somewhat sceptical," Prof Schlegel told BBC News.
"I would have said, maybe this is mass going in, maybe it's mass coming out."
But the patch of hydrogen, spread out in a thin shape closely matching the arc of hot gas seen in Chandra X-ray images, clinched this as a belch rather than a gulp.
In fact, it is the cosmic shockwave from a rather ancient burp; the team has calculated that the inner wave of hot gas probably took three million years to reach its current position - and the outer wave up to six million years.
"We think these arcs represent fossils from two enormous blasts when the black hole expelled material outward into the galaxy," said co-author Christine Jones, also from the CFA.
"This activity is likely to have had a big effect on the galactic landscape."
If their central, supermassive black holes often blast gas outward like this, it might help explain why elliptical galaxies like NGC 5194 tend not to have much active star formation, Prof Schlegel said.
And in the meantime, the outburst is likely to give NGC 5194 (also known as Messier 51b) some of the spotlight that it normally loses to the huge, whirlpool-shaped Messier 51a, with which it is gradually colliding.
"[The Whirlpool Galaxy] gets all the attention," Prof Schlegel said. "The poor companion gets very little - but I think that's about to change."
Other researchers speaking at the AAS meeting on Tuesday described a different, very peculiar black hole.
It is one of a pair of supermassive black holes, circling each other within a single galaxy after a big merger event.
Remarkably, only one of the pair is surrounded by the usual bright, spherical clump of gravitationally bound stars - posing something of a mystery.
"The answer may lie in the galaxy merger itself," said Julie Comerford, an astrophysicist at University of Colorado Boulder.
"When two galaxies merge, there are very strong gravitational and tidal forces that can strip away the stars from around the black hole."
Alternatively, the star-starved black hole may simply belong to a very rare, intermediate class - much smaller than the usual supermassive monsters that sit at the centre of big galaxies.
In that case, one of the galaxies that went into the merger must have only been a dwarf galaxy.
"Maybe this small sphere of stars is actually appropriate for an intermediate-mass black hole," said Dr Comerford.
"There are very few of these known - they are very rare and hard to find - but they're interesting because we think they may be an evolutionary stopover in the process of building supermassive black holes."
Dr Comerford and her colleagues published their findings, based on images from the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes, last year in the Astrophysical Journal.
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A protest has been held against proposed cuts to bus services and discounts for pass holders who use community transport in Somerset.

Somerset County Council is conducting two consultations as part of efforts to balance its budget for next year.
Cabinet member, David Fothergill said: "We currently subsidise 75 services and there are 25 of them we're looking at."
Protesters said the move would increase rural isolation and price some people out of using community buses.
The cuts would hit some weekend routes and services between most towns in Somerset, including Yeovil, Langport and Taunton.
Mr Fothergill added: "They're the ones with low usage or there's alternative means we can provide or it's just not economical to run them any more."
Tracey Harding, co-founder of the Frome and Villages Buses Action Group, which campaigns for better public bus services, said: "Frome has already lost three of its Saturday services in the last round of cuts made by First Bus.
"To have more cuts would be devastating."
The proposals would also halve the 50% concession bus pass holders receive on community transport to 25%.
Community bus Wiveylink is run by the Wiveliscombe Area Partnership.
Pauline Homeshaw from the group said: "We're addressing rural isolation which so many people who use Wiveylink are absolutely suffering from already and Wiveylink has rescued them from that isolated state.
The council said the consultations would run until January, with a final decision taken later.