The jury has failed to reach a verdict after over 10 hours of deliberation in the trial of a 44-year-old man accused of repeatedly raping and assaulting a teenage girl.

Dean James Plowman was on trial in the Royal Court last week for 15 sexual offences – including raping a teenage girl, making another child watch, and encouraging the same child to join in assaulting her – and two grave and criminal assaults against the girl.

But the jury was unable to reach either unanimous or majority verdicts on any of the counts after a five-day trial and over 10 hours of deliberation.

The jury was released from service, and Mr Plowman was discharged from the proceedings.

The victim, who cannot be named, gave evidence in a recorded police interview which was played in court last week.

As she had difficulty in speaking about the alleged offences, she wrote down her answers to questions and they were then read aloud by another officer.

The girl said that Mr Plowman had first assaulted and raped her in 2020, claiming that it had happened “more than ten times”.

Crown Advocate Simon Thomas told the jury of eight men and four women that the alleged attacks included rape, sexually penetrating the girl with his fingers, and making her perform a sex act on him.

Mr Plowman was also said to have assaulted her in the presence of a younger boy and encouraged the boy to join in assaulting her.

Advocate Thomas said the allegations came to light in January 2023 when the girl told a member of staff at her school that she feared she was pregnant.

The advocate said: “She said she had sex with a man in his 40s. She said she didn’t want to have sex with him.”

The girl was found not to be pregnant. An examination showed marks which could have been caused due to forced sexual intercourse, but did not prove it.

The advocate also said Mr Plowman had inflicted grave and criminal assaults on the girl on two separate occasions.

“He twisted her arm until it popped out of her shoulder and put her hands round her neck and squeezed it,” said Advocate Thomas.

“He also threw a knife at her, pushed her so she fell backwards, and kicked her in the stomach.”

Mr Plowman gave evidence on the fourth day of the trial. He wept as he answered questions from his advocate, James Bell.

Mr Plowman said he had felt “startled” when the police arrested him in January 2023, shortly after the girl had made the claims.

Asked why he had not requested a lawyer during his police interview, he said: “I didn’t think I needed one.”

Advocate Bell asked him: “Is any of what she said true?”

Mr Plowman fought back tears as he said: “No, none of it.”

The advocate asked: “How did the allegations make you feel?”

He replied: “Sick.”

And Advocate Bell asked: “Do you understand why she said these things?”

Mr Plowman replied: “I have no idea.”

He also said: “I have gone through so many emotions over the last two years – I was hurt, upset, angry and resentful.”

Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae was presiding.