A rape trial in Carlow is halted after a High Court judge discharges the jury when it was revealed that some jurors carried out their own research on the case online. According to reports, the discovery came to light during the trial, prompting the judge to end the jury process and discharge the jurors rather than allow proceedings to continue.
The case involves allegations of rape, assault causing harm, and threats to kill. The trial had opened about two weeks earlier. The judge’s decision means the matter does not proceed to a jury verdict at this stage, and the discharge raises questions about how the case will be handled going forward.
The reports agree that the key issue is jurors accessing information independently through the internet, which the judge treats as incompatible with the trial’s requirements for fair consideration based solely on evidence presented in court. Neither report indicates a verdict or the specific content of the online research, but both describe the discharge as a response to the breach.
