Jury in Paudie Palmer trial sent home after failing to reach verdict

The judge has told the jury, who will return on Monday, that a majority 10-2 or 11-1 verdict would be acceptable

The late Paudie Palmer died on December 29, 2022.

The jury hearing the week-long trial of a Ukrainian motorist who denies dangerous driving causing the death of GAA broadcaster Paudie Palmer deliberated throughout Friday without reaching a verdict.

Judge Colin Daly asked the jury to come back to courtroom 5 at Cork Circuit Criminal Court at 5.20pm today, following five hours of deliberation.

They had reached the point in their deliberations earlier in the afternoon when the judge told them that a majority 10-2 or 11-1 verdict would be acceptable if they could not reach a unanimous verdict.

However, they said at 5.20pm that they had not reached a verdict. Judge Daly then sent them home and directed them to return at 10am on Monday, February 12, to resume their deliberations.

The judge repeated his warnings to them that they should not discuss the case even with their closest friends or family, they should not read media reports of the case and they should not read about it on social media.

Bohdan Bezverkhyi (pictured) denies the most serious charge of dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Palmer at Dunkereen Cross, Innishannon, Co Cork, on December 29 2022. File picture: Denis Boyle

33-year-old Bohdan Bezverkhyi, of Rigsdale House, Rigsdale, Ballinhassig, Co Cork, denies the most serious charge of dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Palmer at Dunkereen Cross, Innishannon, Co Cork, on December 29, 2022. 

He pleaded guilty to five other charges related to his failure to remain at the scene and dangerous driving at another time and place — December 28, 2022, on the main Cork-Kerry road, the N22.

The five women and seven men of the jury asked one question in the course of the afternoon at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. 

They asked about texts sent by the accused man to friends on the day of the accident: “How should we interpret from the accused’s text, that he was drunk?” They were told that this was a question of fact that they would have to resolve.