Historic familial sexual abuse trial paused

The jury in the trial of six men accused of sexually abusing their deaf relative is pausing its deliberations for over a week to allow one of its number to go on holidays.

The jury in the Central Criminal Court trial has been deliberating for 12 days, during which time it has returned seven guilty verdicts out of the 20 counts it is considering.

One of the jurors has a long-standing holiday booked and the court took time to consider whether this juror should be discharged mid-deliberations or whether all 12 jurors should take a break and resume after the holiday.

It was decided on Thursday, May 28 that the jurors would pause their deliberations. They will return on Tuesday, June 9.

Previously, Ms Justice Caroline Biggs told jurors there is no pressure on them whatsoever in reaching their verdicts. “Some deliberations take hours or days or weeks,” she said.

The six men on trial, aged between 33 and 55, face a combined total of 20 charges - 16 of which pertain to the main complainant, who is deaf. They are her three uncles and her three younger brothers. All of the men deny any wrongdoing and have pleaded not (NOT) guilty to the charges.

The abuse is alleged to have occurred over 19 years, between 1995 and 2014. None of the parties in the trial, which started last October, can be named for legal reasons.

To date, the jury has found one of the main complainants' uncles guilty of all four charges against him. This 48-year-old man (Accused B) has been convicted of three counts of rape and one count of anal rape of the complainant on dates between 2006 and 2014.

The jury has further found one of her younger brothers, Accused E (33), guilty of both counts against him. He has been convicted of two counts of anally raping her between 2007 and 2009.

Another younger brother, Accused F (also 33) was found guilty of one count of raping his sister between 2007 and 2009. He is still facing another count of rape during the same time period.

READ NEXT: Uncle and brothers convicted of rape in historic trial

As well as this count, the jury is deliberating on 12 further charges pertaining to the other three defendants.

Accused A – the woman's 55-year-old uncle - is accused of a single count of raping the main complainant on a date between December 2009 and April 2011.

Accused C (35) is accused of 10 counts against his sister. These comprise three of rape, two counts of anal rape and one count of sexual assault, all allegedly committed against the main complainant, between 2003 and 2010.

Accused C is further charged with the sexual abuse of two of his younger sisters. He has denied one count of sexual assault in relation to one sister, Complainant 2, on a date between 2005 and 2006 when she was a child. He is further charged with two counts of raping her on dates between 2015 and 2018.

He has also denied one count of anally raping a third sister, Complainant 3, on a date between 2010 and 2014.

A third uncle, Accused G (46), has denied a single count of raping the main complainant on a date between 1995 and 1996.

The trial will resume on June 9.

The trial judge has directed that the press may not report a specific location in relation to these allegations.