Jury in ex-football coach's abuse trial dismissed

  • Published
Carlisle Crown CourtImage source, Google
Image caption,

The jury of seven men and five women was dismissed on day four of the trial

A jury in the trial of a former south Cumbria football coach accused of sexually abusing a boy over four decades ago has been discharged.

Anthony John Pickering, 61, faced four charges at Carlisle Crown Court, which he denied, dating back to the 1970s and 80s.

He faced two allegations of attempting to carry out sexual acts on the young player, and two of indecent assault.

Judge Richard Archer dismissed the jury for legal reasons.

Reporting restrictions imposed by the judge prohibit the precise reasons being made public.

Mr Pickering, formerly of Claife Avenue, Windermere, was remanded in custody.

A new trial has been provisionally fixed and is due to start at the same court on 3 April.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, external, Facebook, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk, external.

Related topics

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.