Jury cannot pass judgment on PC accused of lying

A jury was discharged after failing to reach a verdict in the case of a police officer accused of perverting the course of justice.

PC Paul Higgins, 42, of Hengoed, County Caerphilly, was accused of instructing his ex-girlfriend to lie about how they first met.

He claimed he met Jessica O'Neill on an evening out in Cardiff; she herself said he was responding to her call about a report of domestic violence.

The jury at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court was discharged on Thursday after failing to reach a verdict.

At the start of the trial, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke instructed the jury to acquit Mr Higgins of a charge of abusing his police powers to instigate a previous relationship with Ms O'Neill.

The judge also instructed the jury to acquit him of three counts of computer misuse because he was the officer involved in the case and there was no evidence that his access was unauthorized.

Mr Higgins has been suspended from South Wales Police since May 2021, when the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation following a report into his conduct.