AFTER deliberating for more than 24 hours, the jury in the murder trial of Shane Holmes returned on Monday afternoon to say they were deadlocked and it was "highly unlikely" they would reach a unanimous or majority verdict. Holmes, 45, had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but not guilty to murder over the death of his mate Chad Hadden, who suffered a traumatic brain injury after he was punched and hit his head on the pavement near Queens Wharf Hotel in Newcastle in January, 2018.
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Mr Hadden never fully regained consciousness and died five months later. The sole issue for the jury to determine was whether, at the time he struck the blow that ultimately proved fatal, did Holmes intend to cause Mr Hadden really serious injury.
But after deliberating for about 24 hours - a period of time approaching the length of the evidence in the trial - the jury returned on Monday at 3pm to say it was "highly unlikely" they would be able to reach a verdict.
The jury were discharged by Justice Stephen Campbell. Holmes will face a re-trial.