Jury considers holiday death case

A County Antrim tourist is on trial for murder

A jury in Spain is considering the case against a County Antrim man accused of killing a woman who was working as a prostitute on a holiday island.

Vincent Traynor, 20, denies killing Stella Omeregie, 23, whose body was found on Cochino beach in Gran Canaria.

The judge in Las Palmos told the jury of 10 men and one woman to consider only the facts presented in court.

He told them to leave aside any preconceived notions based on what they had seen on television or in papers.

The judge said that a vote of seven was enough to convict, and a vote of five was enough to acquit.

The accused sat in the court while the judge spoke in Spanish to the jury. Four members of his family waited outside the court room.

There are two prosecuting lawyers, one represents the state and one represents the family of the victim.

The prosecuting lawyer representing the family of the victim, who was from Nigeria, is pressing for a conviction for murder with a sentence of 20 years.

The state is seeking a conviction for manslaughter with a sentence of 15 years.

Mr Traynor, from Rasharkin, admits kicking the woman but denies killing her in July 2005.