A trial over alleged historic sexual abuse in Rochdale has collapsed after jurors discussed watching a television programme about grooming gangs, in direct breach of court instructions.
The case had been ongoing for almost two months at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester. Six men deny a series of historic sexual offences, including rape, said to have been committed against three girls in Rochdale.
The jury was formally discharged by the judge in December, bringing the trial to an end. Restrictions had initially been placed on reporting the reason for the trial’s collapse. These have now been lifted, and the circumstances can be made public.
It has since emerged that a WhatsApp group was set up by members of the jury, where they discussed a television broadcast relating to grooming gangs. The court heard that one juror wrote that watching the broadcast would go against the judge’s directions, to which another juror responded: “I’m going to watch it anyway,” followed by a smiley face emoji.
The issue came to light when a concerned juror reported the matter to the judge and handed over their phone, allowing the court to review messages within the group. Defence barristers later applied for the jury to be discharged, arguing that the messages showed a clear breach of court instructions and raised concerns about whether jurors were following the rules set out to ensure a fair trial.
Although the two jurors involved claimed they had not actually watched the broadcast, the accuracy of that claim was questioned. One defence barrister said there was a “real risk” the jurors could do the same again.
Prosecutors suggested that the judge could ask the jurors further questions, but the court ruled this could cause more harm than good. Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones said the process of questioning jurors in open court could undermine their credibility, damage confidence in the trial process, and raise further unresolved issues.
He added that the juror who had “very properly” reported the incident was now in an “untenable” position and could no longer continue to serve.
Concluding his ruling, Judge Corbett-Jones said: “With considerable regret and disappointment, I have reached the conclusion that the multiplicity of problems which have now arisen and the uncertainty as regards these issues means that whatever course of action I take, unanswered questions remain.
“And in light of that, no course of action that I can reasonably take can cure the position that now exists because of these multi-layered difficulties.”
A retrial has been scheduled for August.
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