The trial of Hoole man Nicholas Crawshaw ended today (Friday, March 4) at Warrington Crown Court.

Chronicle reporter Mike Fuller was in court to provide live updates as the jury returned to deliver their verdicts following almost three days of deliberations.

Signing off

Parties have dispersed from Warrington Crown Court.

Thank you for following The Chronicle’s articles and updates over the past three-and-a-half weeks.

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No date yet

No date has been set for the retrial of the eight remaining counts.

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The outstanding charges

The outstanding charges are four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault concerning five alleged victims between 2010 and 2012.

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Evidence will need 'fresh eyes'

Following the jury’s release, Judge Landale said: “Mr Crawshaw, the jury have failed to reach verdicts on the remaining counts. There will have to be a retrial but in the meantime you must remain in custody.”

She said a new jury would be able to look at the evidence with ‘fresh eyes’.

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Crawshaw weeps in dock

Crawshaw, dressed smartly as be had been throughout the trial, was weeping in the dock as the verdicts were read out. For now he must return to custody.

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Cleared on six counts of rape

Crawshaw has been found not guilty of six counts of rape, one charge of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault against two women in June 2015.

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Retrial sought on other counts

Simon Mills, prosecuting, says the Crown Prosecution Service will be seeking a retrial on counts one to eight.

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NOT GUILTY on counts nine to 16

Nicholas Crawshaw found not guilty on charges nine to 16 on the indictment.

The jury foreman tells Judge Landale they do not feel they will not be able to reach a verdict on the other counts.

The judge dismisses them from service.

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Jury returns

The jury are returning to the courtroom.

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Jury still deliberating

Still no movement to bring you as we approach lunch. The jury are still poring over the evidence as they try to reach a conclusion.

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Waiting game

No decision to bring you from Warrington Crown Court this morning despite Judge Landale’s concession that majority verdicts are now acceptable.

The jury were first sent out just after 11am on Wednesday, but it would be wrong to speculate on when there will be a conclusion.

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Majority verdicts will be accepted

The jury have now retired to resume their deliberations.

Judge Tina Landale said: “The time has now come when I can accept verdicts which are by majority. That means I can accept verdicts on any counts on which 10 of you agree.”

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Jury brought in

The jury are brought in to the courtroom.

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Deliberations enter day three

Day three of jury deliberations in the trial of Nicholas Crawshaw is expected to resume soon. Will we get a verdict today?

Stick with us and we will have updates as soon as they are available.

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Handover

Chronicle reporter Mike Fuller is now at Warrington Crown Court and is ready to take over the blog. The next update here will be from him.

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A reminder of the charges

Here is the full list of charges faced by Nicholas Crawshaw, all of which he denies:

Count 1: Sexual assault of a girl under the age of 16 between January and May 2010. First complainant.
Count 2: Sexual assault of a girl under the age of 16 between January and May 2010. First complainant.
Count 3: Rape of a girl under the age of 16 between January and May 2010. Second complainant.
Count 4: Rape of a girl under the age of 16 in April 2010. Third complainant.
Count 5: Assault by penetration in March or April 2012. Fourth complainant.
Count 6: Assault by penetration in March or April 2012. Fourth complainant.
Count 7: Rape of a woman in March or April 2012. Fourth complainant.
Count 8: Rape of a woman in July 2012. Fifth complainant.
Count 9: Sexual assault in June 2015. Sixth complainant.
Count 10: Rape of a woman in June 2015. Sixth complainant.
Count 11: Assault by penetration in June 2015. Seventh complainant.
Count 12: Rape of a woman in June 2015. Seventh complainant.
Count 13: Rape of a woman in June 2015. Seventh complainant.
Count 14: Rape of a woman in June 2015. Seventh complainant.
Count 15: Rape of a woman in June 2015. Seventh complainant.
Count 16: Rape of a woman in June 2015. Seventh complainant.

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Welcome

Good morning.

Today we’ll be bringing you live updates from the trial of Nicholas Crawshaw.

The trial is in its fourth week and you can click HERE to read what happened in court yesterday (Thursday, March 3).

Also, an extremely important warning has been issued by the judge regarding the naming of any alleged victim.

And Cheshire Police have said anyone who identifies a complainant will be ‘arrested very quickly’.

We urge anyone reading this blog to read more about this HERE.

We are nearing the end of the trial, with the jury due to begin their third day of deliberations this morning.

The Chronicle’s Mike Fuller has been following the trial from day one and is in court today. He’ll be bringing you updates throughout the day.

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