Jurors in the trial of a husband and son accused of manslaughter following the death of a 71-year-old Whitehaven woman have been sent home for the weekend with no verdicts yet reached.
Robert Christopher Morgan, 61, and David Holyoak, 53, are alleged to have unlawfully killed their respective wife and mother Dorothy Morgan by gross negligence. All three lived at an address in Calder Avenue, Whitehaven.
Mrs Morgan died in hospital on February 4 2021 — 10 days after she was admitted in an emaciated, malnourished and severely dehydrated state, weighing only four-and-a-half stones.
Morgan and Holyoak deny the manslaughter charge they jointly face, and are accused by the prosecution of completely failing to properly take care of her, or seeking medical assistance.
They instead claim to have been following Mrs Morgan’s express wishes that no professional help be sought, Morgan claiming in evidence during the lengthy trial at Carlisle Crown Court that he believed his wife had intended to end her life.
A jury of seven men and five women retired to consider their verdicts on Wednesday morning after hearing all evidence in the case.
They have since spent more than two full days deliberating. Late yesterday afternoon, with no verdicts yet reached, the jury was sent home for the weekend by Her Honour Justice Goddard KC.
Jurors are due return to court on Monday at 10am to resume their deliberations.
