A woman who denies murdering her former lover broke down in tears on Monday afternoon when a jury failed to agree a verdict following her month-long trial at the Central Criminal Court. The jury of eight men and four women had spent seven hours and 33 minutes considering their verdict in the trial of Nicola Brennan, who stood trial accused of murdering Juris Viktorovs by stabbing him once in the chest.
On Monday afternoon, Mr Justice Paul McDermott told the jury that he would accept a majority verdict if at least 10 of them agreed. A short time later the jury returned, saying there was no possibility of a verdict being reached. Ms Brennan audibly sobbed in the dock while Mr Justice McDermott thanked the jurors for their efforts and exempted them from further service for 10 years. The judge then remanded Ms Brennan in custody until January 24th when a date will be set for a new tria