Jury begins deliberations in Ryder trial

Jurors are today considering whether actress Winona Ryder stole thousands of pounds worth of designer merchandise from a posh department store.

The six men and six women, who have spent over a week listening to evidence in the Hollywood star’s shoplifting trial, are beginning their deliberations at 5.30pm Irish time.

Last night, Beverly Hills Superior Court judge Elden Fox warned the jury not to be influenced by “pity for the defendant or prejudice against her”.

He also said they should not draw any conclusions from the fact that Ryder did not choose to testify in her own defence, before sending them out to consider their verdict.

Ryder, 31, denies felony charges of grand theft, vandalism and burglary.

In his closing arguments yesterday, her lawyer Mark Geragos claimed the case against her stemmed from a conspiracy on the part of Saks Fifth Avenue the Beverly Hills store from which Ryder allegedly stole about €6,000 worth of designer during a shopping trip last December 12.

Mr Geragos claims the majority of the prosecution witnesses five out of six of whom were Saks’ employees embellished their testimony or lied in a bid to see the star convicted.

He also said that some of them could have framed his client.

Mr Geragos suggested that key prosecution witness Colleen Rainey, a Saks security officer, could have planted a pair of scissors on Ryder after she was apprehended on leaving the store with allegedly stolen goods and taken into a security office.

Prosecutors claim the actress brought the scissors to the store with her so she could cut sensor tags off the items she planned to steal.

Mr Geragos also suggested that the allegedly stolen goods apparently taken from Ryder’s bags and inventoried by Saks security officers could also have been planted.

He asked the jury: “In the security office what would have stopped the Saks people from taking the items they claim were in the bags, setting the bags down on the counter and pulling out the items that were supposedly there?”

Mr Geragos also questioned why four sensor tags Saks security boss Ken Evans claims he found in the pocket of a coat after they were allegedly dumped there by Ryder during her shopping trip were not dusted for fingerprints.

Mr Geragos suggested the witnesses changed their stories in order to try and convict Ryder after it was discovered that Saks did not actually have a videotape showing her cutting tags off merchandise and stuffing items into her bag while she was in a store changing room.

At a press conference held the day after Ryder’s arrest, a police officer told reporters Saks had such evidence on camera.

It later emerged that no such footage existed and prosecutors say the police officer made an error based on his misreading of a report from Colleen Rainey.

Mr Geragos suggested, however, that it may be that Saks actually did have cameras in its changing rooms and did not want that fact to come out during the trial.

He asked the jury: “Could it be that there are cameras in the fitting rooms and Saks wanted to deny that because it’s too much of a hit to take?”

He told the jurors that Saks wanted Ryder to be convicted: “So they are insulated from any kind of civil liability.”

Mr Geragos added: “They have all the best reasons to fabricate evidence, to tell you things that aren’t true.”

He ended by telling jurors the case against Ryder had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt adding: “You can’t come to the conclusion that Winona Ryder is guilty based on what we have heard.

“I humbly ask you to bring back a not guilty verdict on all three charges.”

In response, prosecutor Ann Rundle described Mr Geragos’ entire defence case as being based on misdirection, insinuation and speculation.

She described the Saks employees as “good people” simply trying to do their jobs and said there was no reason for them to frame Ryder.

Ms Rundle said that while the prosecution had presented facts, the defence had presented: “a story that could only have been written in Hollywood.”

She told the jury: “We have asked you to treat her [Ryder] like anybody else, they want you to give her the celebrity discount.”

After instructing the jury last night, Judge Fox sent them out to select a foreman and ordered them to return to begin their deliberations today.