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| Lord Janner sex abuse 'trial of the facts’ formally dropped one month after the Labour peer's death | Lord Janner sex abuse 'trial of the facts’ formally dropped one month after the Labour peer's death |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A ‘trial of the facts’ into allegations of sexual abuse by Lord Janner has been formally dropped following the Labour peer’s death in December. | A ‘trial of the facts’ into allegations of sexual abuse by Lord Janner has been formally dropped following the Labour peer’s death in December. |
| Although the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had declared Greville Janner unfit to stand a criminal trial last year due to his "deteriorating and irreversible" dementia, a formal examination of the evidence against him had been scheduled for April. | |
| Janner had faced 22 counts of sexual abuse dating back to the 1960s. His family has always maintained his innocence. | Janner had faced 22 counts of sexual abuse dating back to the 1960s. His family has always maintained his innocence. |
| The trial of the facts would have seen a jury asked to decide whether the incidents had taken place, although there would not have been a guilty or not guilty verdict either way. | The trial of the facts would have seen a jury asked to decide whether the incidents had taken place, although there would not have been a guilty or not guilty verdict either way. |
| On Friday morning, prosecutor Richard Whittam QC told trial judge Mr Justice Openshaw that the Crown would not go ahead with the planned trial of facts. | |
| The CPS had initially hinted at the highly unusual move of the trial going ahead despite Janner's death but that has now been ruled out. | |
| In a statement, the CPS said: “When a defendant dies during criminal proceedings, it is usual that the case no longer goes ahead following formal confirmation of the defendant's death at a hearing before the court. | |
| "However, we are considering the procedural implications of this specific case." |