Police investigating comments made online by Belfast rape trial juror

Comments made online by one of the jurors in the Belfast rape trial this week are being investigated by authorities.

The comments were left underneath an article on Broadsheet.ie on Wednesday evening, just seven hours after the four men accused in the trial were acquitted, reports The Irish Times. In the posts, the juror explained why the jury came to the verdict it did and why its deliberations took less than four hours, answering some questions from other commenters. The incident was referred to the office of Northern Ireland's most senior judge, the Lord Chief Justice, which said that the Attorney General had been notified. The PSNI also said it was aware of the comments. Speaking to the publication, the juror claimed that they had done nothing wrong as they hadn't gone into detail on the jury's deliberations. "When we were all discharged, the 11 of us, the only thing the judge said was, 'Do you know what, go about your everyday life, whatever, business as usual, but don’t reveal discussions within the jury room,' and none of that was like part of anything I have said." They also said they were told by the Lord Chief Justice's office to take down the comments and that they contacted Broadsheet.ie, which then removed them. On Wednesday, rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding and their friends Blane McIlroy and Rory Harrison were cleared of all charges against them after a nine week trial at Laganside Crown Court in Belfast.