Jury discharged after failing to agree rape charge

A Central Criminal Court jury has been discharged after failing to agree on a charge of rape against a Derry trucker.

The jury found him guilty of assault causing her harm but not guilty of stealing approximately IR£30 from her on the same occasion on November 27, 1999 at Wolfe Tone Quays.

Miss Justice Mella Carroll thanked the jury for its work on the case and remanded in custody until March 14 for sentence on the assault charge.

The 39-year-old man had pleaded not guilty to the charges in the five-day trial. The jury spent approximately six hours deliberating and spent one night in a hotel.

A date for a retrial on the rape charge will be fixed on February 27 next.