Jury in Roy Webster trial to continue their deliberations on Friday

The jury in the trial of a Co Wicklow man who is accused of beating a woman he had a one-night stand with to death with a hammer will return to the Central Criminal Court on Friday to continue their deliberations.

The seven women and four men were sent home on Thursday evening, having spent more than six hours considering their verdict.

Roy Webster (40) of Ashbree, Ashford, Co Wicklow has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Anne Shortall (47) at The Murrough, Co Wicklow on April 3rd, 2015. His plea was not accepted by the State.

Earlier on Friday, at the request of the jury, Justice Patrick McCarthy reread the evidence of State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy. He also read out a statement by Dr Stephen Clifford of Forensic Science Ireland.

It was the prosecution’s case that Mr Webster beat Ms Shortall to death with a hammer after she threatened to reveal the details of their fling to his wife.

Ms Shortall, who was in debt, had told Mr Webster she was pregnant and asked for £6,500 to pay for an abortion in England. He claimed that she refused to provide proof of her pregnancy. A pathology report later showed she was not pregnant.

The jury has already asked to listen for a second time to a statement from Carmel Phibbs, a friend of the accused’s wife Sinéad, who met Mr Webster shortly after he had killed Ms Shortall. Ms Phibbs was at the Webster home that afternoon and told gardaí he was acting “completely normal” when he got in.

The jury also requested to see a number of exhibits, including the hammer it is alleged Mr Webster used to beat Ms Shortall to death.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy has told them they must bring back a unanimous verdict as to whether Mr Webster is guilty of murder or of manslaughter.

In his closing statement, senior counsel Paul Greene, prosecuting, said that, at times, it may have been hard to tell if it was Mr Webster or Ms Shortall who was on trial. It was the jury’s job to decide if it was his intention to kill her.

In his closing speech, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, told the jury his client was “not some cold-blooded killer” and he “lost control of himself” when the assault happened.