JURY DISCHARGED IN SALTHILL MURDER TRIAL

Date Published: 16-Jan-2013

The trial of a 31-year-old Connemara woman who denies the murder of her former boyfriend was suspended earlier today at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Galway and will resume before a new jury tomorrow.

Maura Thornton, a native of Inverin, denies the murder of 59 year old Kevin Joyce at 183, Upper Salthill , Galway on July 31, 2011.

Ms Thornton’s trial opened before a jury of six men and six women last Tuesday morning and was expected to last into next week.

However, when the trial resumed this morning, Mr Justice Barry White discharged the jury.

He told the jurors the trial was not going to proceed any further before them because he had been made aware that one of the jurors was in possession of information in relation to the matter which perhaps, he said, had not been in the public domain.

He said the trial will resume before a new jury tomorrow.