A jury failed to reach a verdict on two former IRA prisoners accused of using threats in a bid to pocket a £150,000 (€172,000) pay-off, court officials said today.

The jury trying two former IRA prisoners for an alleged blackmail plot against a couple of businessmen began its third day of deliberations today.

The jury trying two former IRA prisoners for an alleged blackmail plot against a couple of businessmen today began the second day of their deliberations.

TWO former IRA prisoners blackmailed businessmen in a bid to get a share of £6 million (€6.7m) said to have been raised using the name of the republican organisation, a court has heard.

Two men linked to the IRA used threats in a bid to get a share of £6m (€6.64m) said to have been been raised using the name of the republican organisation, a court heard today.