Murder case deliberations resume

Stephen Cahoon's murder trial has made Irish and British legal history

The jury in the trial of a Londonderry man accused of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend will begin its third day of deliberations on Friday morning.

Stephen Cahoon, 37, from Harvey Street in the city, has already admitted killing Jean Quigley, but denies murdering the mother-of-four last year.

Ms Quigley's body was found at her home in Cornshell Fields in July 2008. She had been badly beaten and strangled.

The minimum verdict the jury can return is manslaughter.

The seven men and five women have been trying to reach a unanimous verdict but the judge at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin has told them he will now accept a majority verdict of at least 10 to two.

The trial has made history as Mr Cahoon opted for trial in the Irish Republic.

He is the first person to face a southern jury for a non-terrorist related offence in Northern Ireland.

Under the Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act of 1976, suspects can be tried in the Republic for alleged offences committed in Britain or Northern Ireland.

Mr Cahoon was arrested in County Donegal 11 days after Ms Quigley's murder.