A jury in the trial of a Wicklow man accused of murder has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict.
The Central Criminal Court jury of seven men and five women deliberated for over nine hours but were unable to reach a decision.
Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne said she was left with no other option but to discharge the jury from their duty.
Mr Richard O'Carroll (33) with addresses at Greenpark Road, Bray, Co Wicklow and Cois Sleibhe, Southern Cross Road, Bray has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Keith Fortune (27) of Hazelwood Upper, Dargle Road, Bray.
Mr Fortune allegedly died as a result of an incident at the William Dargan Inn, Goldsmith Terrace, on Quinsboro Road in Bray in the early hours of May 2nd 1999. He was in the company of family celebrating the christening of a child earlier that day.
The foreman of the jury told the trial judge that they had "given it a lot of thought" but he didn't think "any further deliberations would change anything".
Ms Justice Dunne thanked the jury for their service and discharged them from duty for the next five years. The accused man will appear again in court on January 31st to fix a date for a new trial.