A jury has been sworn in to hear the trial of three lifeguards accused of breaching their duty of reasonable care after a man drowned in a swimming pool in Armagh.
Appearing in the dock of Newry Crown Court on Monday, the three defendants – Cathal Forrest-McVeigh (35), from Dunamony Road in Dungannon; William Holden (26), from Unshinagh Lane in Portadown and James Monaghan (26), from Folly Lane in Armagh – confirmed they were ready for their trial.
They are all charged with a single offence alleging that, being an employee, they were in breach of their duty to others on April 7th, 2017, in that they “failed to take reasonable care for the health and safety of other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work”.
None of the alleged facts surrounding the charge were opened in court but when the jury was being sworn in, Judge Paul Ramsey told them the charges arise following the death of 20-year-old Christopher Rodgers, who died after an incident at the Orchard Leisure Centre in Armagh.
Sending the jury home for the day as the court deals with “legal matters” before the case is formally opened by the prosecution on Tuesday, the judge warned the eight men and four women not to discuss the case and to “resist the temptation to undertake amateur research on the internet”.
“You know very little about this case,” Judge Ramsey told them “and the most understandable thing when you get home is to be asked what it’s about, but resist the temptation to tell anyone about the case”.
“Just tell them that the judge says you are not allowed to speak about it,” he told the jury, adding that although he was not barring them from social media, “do not say anything about what you are involved in in the trial”.
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