A Belfast Crown Court jury was sworn in yesterday for the trial of the grandparents of a severely disabled teenage girl who died more than a decade ago.
David Johnston (88) and his wife Sarah (86), Carnwood Drive, Glengormley, deny the manslaughter and ill-treatment of their granddaughter Rebecca McKeown (14) in March 2001.
No details of the circumstances of Rebecca’s death were given to the jury of seven men and five women by Mr Justice McLaughlin, except that she had been severely disabled from birth.
Mr Justice McLaughlin said the trial, to begin today, would take “a significant length of time” and could continue until June 15th for a variety of reasons, including medical evidence and the “significant investigation” into the case.
The judge told the jurors it was essential they decide the case only on the evidence they hear in court.