Shortly before 12.30pm on Monday,the jury of six men and six women sent their first note to the court,saying they were unable to reach a unanimous decision and were “seeking guidance on how to proceed”.
Judge Graham Turnbull,SC,acknowledged there had been lengthy discussions and that he did have the power to discharge them,but said he was required to ask them to persevere.
On Tuesday morning,after more than 20 hours of deliberations,the judge again told the jury,“if you are having trouble,you should send us a note,let us know”.
“I only say that for the obvious reason ... you’ve been diligently addressing these matters for some days now,” he said. The jury retired to deliberate on March 27.
The judge emphasised that the jury were to put aside stereotypes and only have regard to the evidence in the trial and “what went on within these four walls”.
The jury sent a second note on Tuesday afternoon,saying they had taken another vote and “made progress” but were “not at a unanimous decision”,and asked for clarification on whether “ignorance is a sufficient defence”.