Jury in trial of Durham University student accused of rape fails to reach verdict

The jury in the trial of a Durham University student accused of raping a drunken undergraduate has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict.
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Alastair Cooke, who was studying geology with geophysics, had denied three counts of rape on a woman following a house party.

Durham Crown Court had been told the 22-year-old, from Perranarworthal, Truro, Cornwall, allegedly let himself into the woman's house and raped her in June last year.

The jury spent almost seven hours deliberating but were unable to reach a majority decision.

Cooke was released on conditional bail and the prosecution said consideration would be given to a retrial.