A UK judge on Wednesday discharged the 11-person jury in the domestic violence case against former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, after it failed to reach a verdict despite days of deliberations.
Judge Hilary Manley dismissed the jury of seven women and four men, which had been given the option of delivering a majority verdict, after determining there was no "realistic prospect" of a decision following almost 23 hours of consideration.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which oversees prosecutions in England and Wales, were given a week to decide whether to retry the case following the four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court. "I have permitted the prosecution a short period of time to consider their position," Manley told Giggs shortly after discharging the jurors, adding "more will be clear in a week's time".
The CPS must consider the public interest of a retrial of the 48-year-old former footballer, who until recently served as coach of the Wales national team, which would take place next year and possibly as far off as June.