A high-profile grooming gang trial in the United Kingdom has been abandoned after concerns emerged that members of the jury discussed a television programme related to the case in a private WhatsApp group, according to a report by The Telegraph.
The trial, involving six men accused of raping and sexually abusing two teenage girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, between 2003 and 2006, was being heard at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court. Proceedings began in October last year but were halted around two months later following a report by one of the 12 jurors.
The juror informed court officials that several members of the jury had discussed a television programme about grooming gangs in a WhatsApp group created during the trial. Jurors had been explicitly instructed not to consume or discuss any external material related to the case.
An investigation was launched by Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones, who reviewed the messages exchanged in the group chat. The court heard that one juror had warned others against watching the programme, but another responded that they intended to watch it anyway, followed by a smiley emoji. A third juror also indicated they would view the broadcast.
All jurors were subsequently questioned and denied having watched the programme. Defence lawyers challenged these assurances, arguing that the two jurors who said they intended to watch it may not have been truthful, and urged the judge to conduct further questioning.
Judge Corbett-Jones declined to re-question the jurors and instead ruled that the trial should be halted. “With considerable regret and disappointment,” he said, the accumulation of issues and unresolved uncertainties meant that no course of action could ensure a fair trial.
He added that the “layered nature of the problems” left doubts that could not be remedied by reasonable steps. As a result, the jury was discharged and the trial abandoned.
A retrial has been scheduled for August. Reporting restrictions on the reasons for discharging the jury were lifted on Friday following an application by the Manchester Evening News.
All six defendants have denied the charges against them.
