A jury has found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her 5 million dollars (£4 million) in damages.
The verdict was announced in a federal courtroom in New York City on the first day of jury deliberations. The judgment could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House.
Jurors rejected Ms Carroll’s claims that she was raped, but found Mr Trump liable for sexually assaulting her. READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community The jury began deliberations in the civil trial over Carroll’s claims that Donald Trump raped her in a luxury Manhattan department store in 1996.
Trump, who did not attend the trial, has insisted he never sexually assaulted Ms Carroll or even knew her. He rejected an invitation to give evidence, which the judge extended through the weekend even after Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina said that his client would not testify.